The £30 million Growth Voucher scheme, created by the government to help small businesses grow, is dishing out vouchers at the rate of £1 million per month.

Running for two months the programme has delivered £2 million worth of advice and support to more than 1,000 small businesses.

In total the programme is meant to support 2,000 firms in the next 12 months.

The money goes towards purchasing strategic advice from Enterprise Nation’s advice marketplace, with 3,000 experts in a range of fields including finance, technology and marketing.

Skills and enterprise minister Matt Hancock said: “The Growth Vouchers programme is unique in that it will help businesses access support services while providing scientific data on the exact benefit of tailored advice.

“We are determined to help small businesses grow and thrive – this is not only the surest way to create jobs but the research will show us how to best target support for future entrepreneurs and small businesses.

“That is why we are providing funding to help small business access this support. The response from businesses and providers in just the first two months has been fantastic.”

The Growth Voucher programme is part of a trial run by the Department of Business. The department will monitor the results over the next two years before drawing up conclusions.

Growth Vouchers are eligible for businesses with fewer than 49 employees that have not sought strategic advice in the last three years. It runs until March 2015.