Gloucestershire: aligned with the UK’s Industrial Strategy

The Government’s new Industrial Strategy launched earlier this week, sets a bold 10-year vision to drive growth, resilience, innovation and Gloucestershire’s businesses are well-positioned to benefit.

Our county’s strengths in cyber, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence and agri-tech are firmly aligned with the national focus on high-growth sectors. Cheltenham’s Golden Valley is central to the UK’s drive for AI and cybersecurity capability, while Gloucestershire’s world-class engineering, aerospace and defence companies will gain from targeted support to strengthen supply chains, boost exports and accelerate R&D.

Crucially, Gloucestershire’s growing national profile in agri-tech has been directly recognised in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. The Royal Agricultural University and Hartpury University and College are identified as key institutions driving innovation in sustainable food production and land-based technologies, placing Gloucestershire at the forefront of future farming and agri-tech growth.

National plans to boost digital, engineering and technical skills provide a real opportunity for Gloucestershire to strengthen its local skills pipeline. With our strong network of colleges, universities and training providers, businesses have a chance to collaborate and shape future provision to ensure the right skills are in place to meet sector needs.

Alongside this, new commitments to simplify regulation, improve infrastructure, unlock finance and support scale-up businesses offer welcome opportunities to accelerate local growth.

At Invest in Gloucestershire, we see this as a unique opportunity for our business community to engage and help shape how these national ambitions are delivered locally. As we develop Gloucestershire’s own Local Growth Plan, we are ensuring national strategy aligns with local priorities delivering real, lasting benefits for our businesses, communities and workforce.

https://www.gov.uk/business-and-industry/industrial-strategy