Welsh Government’s Business Wales service, which provides impartial, independent support and advice to people starting, running and growing a business, has supported the creation of 25,000 jobs across Wales since 2016, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething has revealed today.

The Minister said the creation of the 25,000 jobs in SMEs across Wales via the direct support of Business Wales is a clear demonstration of the Welsh Government’s commitment to encouraging entrepreneurship and business development in Wales, ahead of the annual celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week from the 8 to 12 November 2021.

The Business Wales service, which was launched in 2015, provides a wide-range of business support, from start-up support services, online support, shared workspaces, and specialist advisory services to help Welsh businesses grow and prosper.

The service is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

10,000 of those jobs have been created by businesses supported through the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme (AGP), a dedicated programme that provides targeted support for ambitious firms who want to grow.

Thermal Compaction Group (TCG) in Cardiff created the 10,000th job attributed to support provided by the Accelerated Growth Programme.

The Business Wales Service supports the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government, which sets out the actions Ministers will take to support Welsh businesses to create new jobs, find new export markets and to invest in the sustainable green industries of tomorrow. It includes plans to double the number of employee-owned businesses.

Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething said: "The Welsh Government is taking bold action to build a stronger, fairer, greener Welsh economy. We want more people to feel confident about planning their future in Wales.

"Our approach is geared towards investing in our people and supporting people to start-up their own businesses, so we ensure we have firms grounded in Wales who can provide future opportunities. This will help support job creation and help create dynamic local economies.

"Services such as Business Wales play an incredibly important role in helping people start their own businesses, and supporting them to grow and thrive. So I’m delighted Welsh Government’s Business Wales Service has now supported the creation of 25,000 jobs across Wales over the last five years.

"I’m particularly pleased our flagship Accelerated Growth Programme has reached out to our most ambitious SMEs, helping them create 10,000 of these new jobs.

"The Programme is about more than the growth it drives in companies; it's also about the impact it’s having on individuals across Wales, including Alex, who has secured a job at a company that’s harnessing technological innovation to create a greener, more sustainable future."