Greater Manchester and the North East are among the 6 regions who’ll share £17.5m in funding to “scale up creative businesses.”
The cash will be used to attract additional investment and create jobs.
The Create Growth Programme will give each of the 6 regions £1.275m to develop a targeted programme of business support.
In the North East, this will be delivered through a mixture of workshops and masterclasses, led by Creative UK, in partnership with North East Screen, Creative Fuse, Generator, New Writing North, North East Growth Hub, and Sunderland Software City.
“The North East Create Growth Programme is a huge opportunity for everyone in the North East,” said Chief Executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce, John McCabe.
“Not only will the programme boost the economic potential of this important and growing sector, but it will also help the region in its mission to build, attract, and retain great talent.”
Businesses in the regions will also be able to apply to a £7m investment fund to help with their expansion. This will be delivered by Innovate UK.
£950k will also be invested in developing the next generation of talent. The Creative Careers Programme will be run by ScreenSkills to 53 “priority areas” chosen by the Government.
These include Barnsley, Barrow in Furness, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, County Durham, Kirklees, Knowsley, Rochdale, Stoke on Trent, Rotherham, Selby, South Tyneside, Tees Valley Combined Authority and Wigan.
