CBI Manufacturing Council aims to guide UK industrial policy
The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) is bringing together dozens of CEOs from manufacturers of all sizes across the UK to create a high-powered group that aims to ensure that manufacturing is at the heart of the Government’s industrial strategy.
The new Manufacturing Council will be chaired by Ineos’ group director, Tom Crotty. It aims to:
• shape the skills agenda to build a UK workforce that can adapt to the needs of digitisation and artificial intelligence;
• build a visionary industrial strategy that supports productivity;
• help to deliver the UK’s target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development by 2020; and
• deliver a Brexit that works for UK manufacturers.
“A vibrant manufacturing sector is essential to the growth of the UK economy,” says Crotty. “It provides high-quality, skilled jobs, boosts the country’s trade position and allows the UK to compete in a challenging and changing world. The CBI is the voice of UK business and I am very proud to bring together some of the country’s best manufacturers, both large and small, as we look to grow our vital manufacturing base.”
“A strong and diverse UK manufacturing industry is the foundation of a robust economy,” adds the CBI’s deputy director-general, Carolyn Fairbairn. “And with the global economy changing at a dizzying pace, it has never been more important that its voice is heard loud and clear. Building on our strengths in innovation, science and emerging technologies, the prize is to make the UK one of the greatest success stories of the next wave of global industrialisation.
“Our surveys show that UK manufacturers are on the march, with production and orders growing strongly, but with the challenges posed by Brexit, everything possible must be done to ensure they can stay ahead of the game,” Fairbairn continues. “It is a time to build the confidence to invest and export, creating new high quality jobs across the country.”
Manufacturing makes up around 10% of the UK economy and accounts for more than two-thirds of the UK’s expenditure on r&d.
The CBI represents 190,000 UK businesses of all sizes and sectors. Its members together employ nearly seven million people – about a third of private sector-employees in the UK.
