Speaking after the Budget 2015, Gary Woodman, Executive Director of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It was reassuring for businesses to see a focus on business growth and prosperity in the budget.
“We would particularly like to welcome the wage increase for apprentices as this will further support those who want to develop their skills for their career in the County. We know there are excellent opportunities across Worcestershire with impressive growth in the number of engineering and apprenticeship schemes and over 10,000 people participating in apprenticeship programmes. I would urge employers who have vacancies and those interested in accessing an apprenticeship scheme to visit the newly launched website www.worcsapprenticeships.org.uk.”
“Worcestershire is a world class place to do business and ideally located within the UK for transport networks. The abolishment of petrol duty is good news for all businesses but particularly those trading nationally and internationally, of which we know there are many within the County. It will also support others to choose Worcestershire for their business base. The increase in export support, particularly with China, will build on the future work on the WLEP to increase exports in our key sectors and further open up global markets to Worcestershire’s businesses.”