The Industrial Strategy was published on Monday 23rd June and is now live on gov.uk, alongside the new Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan,
Govt has also today published a Digital and Tech Sector Plan, Clean Energy and Defence Sector Plans, all of which will have an interest for UK Electronics, Electrical and Machinery manufacturing businesses, and the results and recommendations of the Technology Adoption Review.
Link to all documents here: http://www.gov.uk/industrialstrategy.
Many key elements of the Industrial Strategy were promoted over the weekend, including a proposal to examine industry energy costs for some of the most energy intensive users. There will be a full consultation on the proposal before the scheme goes live – potentially in 2027. The Industrial Strategy also includes an intention to revolutionise public procurement and reduce barriers for new entrants and SMEs to bolster domestic competitiveness.
Electricity bills to be slashed for over 7,000 businesses
The Advanced Manufacturing plan includes:
- A specific focus on 6 “frontier” manufacturing sectors – Automotive, Batteries, Aerospace, Space, Advanced materials, and Agri-tech and the supply chain.
Cross cutting measures for manufacturers include:
- Up to £99 million to expand the exemplar Made Smarter Adoption programme which supports manufacturing SMEs to take-up and adopt new technologies.
- The continuation and development of the Made Smarter Innovation programme, supporting SMEs to develop and commercialise innovative digital technologies.
- Establishing a brand-new series of Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) hubs providing a number of “one-stop-shop” to accelerate firms to take-up robotics.
- Ensuring an improved offer of capital to scale-up Advanced Manufacturing businesses as part of the British Business Bank’s £4 billion Industrial Strategy Growth Capital offer
- Establishing a brand-new Grid Connections Accelerator to support business on priority projects connect to the grid much faster.
- Creating the new Supply Chain Centre to conduct data-driven and industry informed reviews of critical supply chains, ensuring any vulnerabilities are appropriately addressed.
The Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan – includes a new £1 billion Clean Energy Supply Chain Fund under Great British Energy. Also developing an industry growth plan to unlock domestic supply chain opportunities, greater sharing of data and early estimates of future demand. Collaborating with Ofgem, network operators and wider industry include the development of an Industry Growth Plan as well as supporting Ofgem’s new Advanced Procurement Mechanism and exploring a new Market Demand Guarantee to stimulate the domestic production of key electricity network equipment.
The Digital and Technology Plan -includes £2 billion will drive the AI Opportunities Action Plan, including up to £500 million for a new Sovereign AI Programme, £187 million to help train a million young people in tech skills, as well as targeting R&D investment such semiconductors in Wales and quantum technologies in Scotland.
The Defence Plan – uses the increase in defence spending to revolutionise procurement to support SMEs, committing at least 10% of the MOD’s equipment budget for novel technologies.
Skills measures include:
- Providing investment of over £100 million over three years to support engineering skills in England, working with Skills England to determine how this can increase the pipeline of skills through further and higher education and apprenticeships. This will include launching Technical Excellence Colleges to address shortages in engineering, which is critical to the skills needed in priority sectors including Advanced Manufacturing,
- Introducing short courses in England, funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, in digital, artificial intelligence and engineering to include the Advanced Manufacturing sector.
- Establishing a new Upskilling and Reskilling programme to address the need for short courses with a focus on SME training needs.