Communications Toolkit

What is the Industrial Strategy? The government’s ambitious, modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long term plan to boost the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the United Kingdom with investment in the skills, industries and infrastructure of the future. The UK has significant economic strengths on which we can build, but we need to do more to increase our productivity and make the most of our untapped potential right across the country. By planning for a rapidly changing future, we can shape new markets and build the UK's competitive advantage as well as improve the quality of our everyday lives. We will boost productivity and earning power across the country by focusing on the five foundations of productivity: Ideas, People, Infrastructure, Business Environment and Places. Industrial Strategy White Paper Link: https://goo.gl/qykwux

Industrial Strategy: overview We will create an economy that boosts productivity and earning power throughout the UK: We will set Grand Challenges to put the future of the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future:

Key policies include:

What’s in it for the Midlands Engine? A thriving Midlands Engine is essential to our national economic success. We have provided the Midlands with £1.9 billion of local growth funding West Midlands Combined Authority will benefit from £250 million from new £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund driving productivity by improving connectivity. The Midlands is becoming a test bed for driverless cars, £5 million extra funding to help maximise the productivity benefits of driverless cars. Birmingham is boosted as the city becomes home to a Tech Nation hub. Midlands skills will be enhanced through greater investment in Further Education on T Levels. The Industrial Strategy backs innovation with an additional £2.3 billion announced. Improved connectivity for students and teachers in the East Midlands schools who benefit from significantly improved internet connectivity through a pilot to connect more public buildings with full-fibre broadband. £15 million investment in a new engineering university in Hereford supplying the engineering talent needed to power the Midlands Engine.

Midlands Engine: Facts and Figures 20% of the UK’s manufacturing and advanced engineering output comes from the Midlands, home to world-leading businesses like Alstom, Bombardier, JCB, Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce. The driving force behind the UK’s automotive sector, employing over 60,000 automotive workers and accounting for over 40% of the country’s production. Exports from the Midlands Engine are growing faster than any other UK region. Foreign direct investment projects in the Midlands have grown by over 130% in five years and last year created over 14,000 new jobs. Birmingham’s National College for High Speed Rail will help generate the workforce of the future, including some of the 23,000+ engineers needed for HS2 and 2,000 apprentices. There are 7 food enterprise zones in the Midlands Engine with centres of excellence like Harper Adams University in Shropshire, the National Centre for Food Manufacturing in Lincoln and the Food Innovation Centre in Birmingham. In the East Midlands since 2010, £14 million has already created a Synthetic Biology Research Centre and £59 million in the Energy Research Accelerator at Nottingham University.

Contacts EXTERNAL AFFAIRS For any questions or to give feedback, please contact: EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Peter Newman peter.newman@beis.gov.uk | 0207 215 2628 PRESS AND MEDIA Alastair Clifton alastair.clifton@beis.gov.uk | 0207 215 5969