The Government’s commitment to boosting productivity by focusing on five key foundations – ideas, people, infrastructure, the business environment and places – has been welcomed by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP).
Launched by Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, the Industrial Strategy white paper outlines plans to boost the economy, build on the country’s strengths and embrace the opportunities of technological change.
Each of the strategy’s five foundations is supported by a range of policies designed to provide businesses with certainty and reassurance that the UK will continue to have a competitive edge.
Improving productivity through people
Under its People theme, the Government has made a commitment to:
- establish a technical education system that rivals the best in the world to stand alongside the UK’s world-class higher education system
- invest an additional £406 million in maths, digital and technical education, helping to address the shortage of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills
- create a new National Retraining Scheme that supports people to re-skill, beginning with a £64 million investment for digital and construction training
Investing in ideas
To promote Ideas, and in particular business innovation, the Government has announced it will:
- raise total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027
- increase the rate of R&D tax credit to 12%
- invest £725 million in new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programmes to capture the value of innovation
Welcoming the Industrial Strategy
Christian Brodie, Chairman of SELEP, the organisation that champions the local economy, said:
“The strategy sets out an ambitious vision for the country which will be matched by our new Strategic Economic Plan.
The commitment to increasing the National Productivity Investment Fund to £31 billion, supporting investments in transport, housing and digital infrastructure, will be positive for our economy.
Local businesses know they face challenges over the coming years, but will be heartened to see such as a positive business-focused approach being taken by Government..
Our partners in East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock, are up for the challenge. We are all committed to building a strong and vibrant south east economy, that supports local communities and neighbouring London, and at the same time underpins our international trading connections via our ports and airports.”
The Strategic Economic Plan
SELEP is currently working on a new Strategic Economic Plan, which will be consistent with the aspirations and vision of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, and shared with the area’s business community and stakeholders.
Adam Bryan, SELEP’s Managing Dire ctor of SELEP, said:
“We will be presenting our Strategic Economic Plan to Government shortly and believe that our Strategic Economic Plan, our own local industrial strategy, will build on the area’s strengths and improve the area’s productivity and deliver national economic growth.”