Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of skills levels on advanced manufacturing businesses in Calder Valley constituency.

This Government recognises the importance of skills for manufacturing across the UK, including for businesses in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. Through our new Modern Industrial Strategy we are investing an extra £1.2 billion yearly by 2028-29 to develop workforce capabilities and career opportunities.

The accompanying Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan outlines further government support for building a skilled, inclusive workforce through skills reforms including shorter apprenticeships, sector-wide reskilling, and changing public perceptions of manufacturing.

DBT works closely with Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England published two reports this summer, the Skills for growth and opportunity report, and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, providing invaluable evidence to shape skills policy, including for the manufacturing sector.