Manufacturing gets £50m as Govt launches review
MINISTERS have invested £50m in the Manufacturing Advisory Service and launched a review into the future of advanced manufacturing in the UK.
The move comes after the Government abandoned plans to publish a manufacturing framework in favour of incorporating its plans for the sector in its wider “growth review” which will report next year.
Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “A strong manufacturing base is essential for a balanced economy, where exports and investment drive growth, not debt and unsustainable government spending.
“The review into Advanced Manufacturing will see the Government align with industry in our shared ambition to put manufacturing industries on a more solid footing than in the past decade.
“I am looking forward to the manufacturing summit which will be an opportunity to agree actions that Government, industry and education can take over the next 10 years to meet our challenging ambitions.
“While recent statistics have shown the future is bright for manufacturing the job losses announced by BAE systems show that there remains challenges that the Government will need to work with industry to address.”
The Government has announced plans for an “advanced manufacturing summit” in January to be attended by manufacturers and key Ministers including Deputy Prime Minister and Sheffield Hallam MP Nick Clegg.
The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is also spending £600,000 on a two year automation and robotics programme to be developed and run by the Engineering and Machinery Alliance and the British Automation and Robot Association.
