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The HISTORY of REDDITCH New Town
many to absorb any losses. More non-manufacturing employment was needed, there was a
shortage of good openings for school-leavers in commercial office jobs and the problem
would be intensified when the first generation of New Town children left school.
Planning for Employment Growth
The strong manufacturing base of industry within Redditch provided a skills base to
attract new employers. It was anticipated that as well as attracting established
organisations looking to expand, smaller and start-up operations would also be attracted.
Thus factory space was provisioned in a wide range of sizes from small start-up units
to major industrial complexes. This provision was geared to allow any operation to find
suitable space as it grew and expanded. “New Technology” operations were seen as a
growth area for the town but it was keen not to have “all its eggs in one basket” by
having one dominant employer.
A typical speculative factory complex built to allow flexibly for incoming tenants.
Opposite - Redditch Advertiser newspaper
supplement of the 1970s bringing good news on the
jobs front and banging the drum for Redditch.
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