WORK and Pensions Minister Steve Webb visited leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus to announce a major new funding deal for the South West and see how the company's £1.4 million funding last year has trained and safeguarded jobs of its employees.


Mr Webb visited the Airbus site in Filton, on Thursday, February 12 to discuss the extension of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) involving an extra £47 million over the next two years to help grow businesses in the area.


The funding scheme, launched in 2010 to provide grants to projects with significant potential for economic growth, will also safeguard tens of thousands of jobs across the region.


Airbus has benefited from the £1.4 million extra funding in the second round of the RGF which has provided extra training in the design, manufacture, assembly and equipping of aircraft wings.


Mr Webb was given a tour of Airbus and met with a range of apprentices, graduates and other employees at their test rig, responsible for testing the wings of aircraft from the A380 double-decker planes.


He said: “Companies across the South West are already benefitting from the injection of regional funding that is helping to create and secure more jobs for local people.


“It is great to see how Airbus is building on their brilliant work to boost aerospace skills and training, and cement Britain as the largest aerospace manufacturing centre in Europe.


"Regional Growth Funding is all about backing business to drive forward local economies, create more jobs and opportunities for people in all parts of our country.


“The extra £47 million funding for the South West will help continue our country’s strong economic recovery, and fuel business expansion across the region.”


Chris Bestley, 27, an Airbus composite repair design engineer who underwent training through the funding, said: “I’ve been working here for two years now, and have had to do a lot of training in the area I am working in which has been very useful.


“The training is continuous and it has definitely built my skills as an employee.”


Senior engineering director at Airbus, Matthew Orchard, said: “The regional growth funding has secured our position and future as a leader in aviation engineering. It clearly underlines the importance of the Airbus Filton site.


“This shows along with other investments such as the £70 million Airbus Aerospace Park we are continuing to invest in both people and infrastructure to ensure we stay at the leading edge of aerospace technology with world leading products.”


Total investment across all six rounds of the funding is set to unlock £900 million in private sector investment and create or safeguard 51,000 jobs in the South West.


The RGF stimulates enterprise across the country by providing grants to projects and programmes with significant potential for economic growth, leveraging in private sector investment and creating or safeguarding jobs.