U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable said a new industry-led group has been created to ensure that high value skills in the defense sector can be effectively redeployed where there are industrial changes as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
The Skills and Jobs Retention Group will be chaired by Allan Cook, the current chairman of Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA), and the former CEO of the defense company Cobham.
The group will explore how skilled workers can be retained in the advanced manufacturing sector by working with industry to redeploy affected employees to other sectors such as civil aerospace, automotive, energy and marine.
The SDSR expects to cut some 8 percent from the defense budget, while continuing to deliver national security both effectively and efficiently in a tough economic climate.
The review included difficult decisions that will have industrial implications but it also reinforced the importance of the relationship with industry.
The Ministry of Defence still expects to spend close to $95 billion with U.K. suppliers over the next four years.
The purchase of two aircraft carriers maintains the U.K.’s ability to design and build complex warships, including the next generation of frigates. This will sustain some 20,000 jobs in U.K. shipbuilding and see investment of around $16 billion over the next 10 years.
Cable said: “the government recognizes the important contribution that the defense sector makes to the wider economy through high value jobs, intellectual property rights, export revenues and as a key sponsor of apprenticeships and training. I want to ensure that wherever possible we retain the talented individuals leaving the defence industry within the U.K.’s advanced manufacturing sector…”
Atkins Chairman Allan Cook, chairman of SEMTA said: “The U.K. cannot compete internationally without highly skilled workers developing engineering solutions and building new products, so it is vital for future economic growth that we do all that we can to retain these skills within the advanced engineering and manufacturing sectors.”
The industry led-group group will be made up of a small team of senior industry figures with experience in defense and advanced engineering and manufacturing. It will be supported by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
The group will provide a forum for companies across U.K. manufacturing and engineering to work together to make the most of the skills that may become available for redeployment.