Major projects in Bristol aimed at growing the city’s economy by harnessing its strengths in key sectors such as net zero, creativity and advanced manufacturing re to be fast-tracked after receiving a multi-million boost.
The city will get the lion’s share of government funding worth around £18m earmarked for West of England schemes. 
In total these projects will generate 630 jobs and create space to train more than 1,000 people.
The funding, the result of several bids by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), has been welcome by Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who leads the authority.
The successful bids include:
£7.3m for five projects aimed at the area’s innovators to help them turn great ideas around net zero, the creative industries and other areas into high-growth businesses and good-quality jobs for local people.
£4.9m to develop a new site to house 14 manufacturing firms next to the new state-of-the-art and Bottle Yard film and TV studios near Hengrove Park in South Bristol.
Unspecified funding to create top-of-range workspaces for the region’s creatives to try out new animation, music and other technology at the University of the West of England.
More than £1m to upgrade facilities for construction apprenticeships at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College in Filton. This will help retrofit the 250,000 homes in need of energy improvements across the region.
An undisclosed amount for improved facilities to train the next generation of engineers, chefs and car, motorcycle and van technicians at City of Bristol College.
Mayor Norris, pictured at the manufacturing site in Hengrove, said: “I’m delighted to secure this funding to put rocket boosters under several projects integral to my West of England Combined Authority’s plan to grow our economy and ensure the benefits are felt across our communities.
“Now we need to spend this cash and deliver those programmes to ensure local people enter the world of work with the best possible technical and vocational training, back the innovators of tomorrow and unlock two key development projects in Bristol and Bath to help regenerate our region.
“That’s important to ensure I can lever in even more money for more prestigious and ambitious projects in the future that local people need and deserve.”
