UK advanced manufacturing on show at FIA2024
In his opening ceremony speech at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) 2024 yesterday, Kevin Craven, ADS CEO and Chair, Farnborough International, stressed the importance of UK advanced manufacturing and partnership - between industry, government and international partners - in securing sustainability and future advantage.
Image courtesy ADS
Kevin Craven (above) said: "It is my pleasure to be here today to welcome you to the Farnborough International Airshow.
"This is a great moment for our country, our industries and for us, the people behind them.
"We are proud to provide you with a platform in which to celebrate, do business and meet like minded people.
"At ADS and at Farnborough International and indeed, in the UK, we know and recognise that it is people – and the connections between them – that support who we are, what we do and ultimately, secure our future advantage, safety and sustainability for the next generation.
"As we stand here in the birthplace of British Aviation, we are reminded that UK aerospace is at a critical juncture, having overcome the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic to return to the front runners of the global aerospace league tables. Our industry is resilient, buoyant even, with the current aircraft order backlog alone worth approximately £247 billion to the UK economy.
"That backlog grew 8% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
"Our industries are buoyant, yes but the demand is so far outpacing that we are able to fulfil. So work to do.
"Looking wider, ADS sectors are at the heart of UK advanced manufacturing and innovative digital services. Our true value extends beyond our economic footprint, underpinning UK society, families and our way of life.
"Our industries’ value-add to the economy of the sectors has grown 50% in the last decade to £38.2 billion – a testament to their dynamism, innovation and ambition.
"Providing 427,500 jobs throughout the UK – an increase of one third on 2013 figures – our industries deliver on UK prosperity and innovation, providing a hub for advanced manufacturing and driving our decarboniSation agenda.
"More than that, they are delivering for people, their families and their communities all over the UK
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"And our message to you all, here today, is this. UK industry is your partner.
"We are your partner in enhancing the opportunity for every citizen in this nation to have a fulfilling, rewarding and prosperous career – party to the 427,500 well paid jobs we provide throughout the country.
"We are your partner in the pivotal technology agenda, race to decarbonisation and indeed, the critical infrastructure required to enable these new innovations to succeed
"But more than that, we are your partner in securing future advantage for many years to come.
"We say this message as much to our international partners, our delegations, to ourselves, as much as we do to our new government.
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"His Majesty’s Government – in post just two weeks – have shown their clear commitment to the UK’s innovative, ambitious and world-renowned advanced manufacturing sectors with a record number of senior ministers here this week.
"Whether that’s through participating in engagements with our closest allies in NATO, outlining sustained support to Ukraine, and a King’s Speech that contained several commitments to our sectors – including the Industrial Strategy Council upon which ADS has campaigned for many years and the Commitments to future sustainability through Sustainable Aviation.
"For that, and other commitments to securing the workforce of our sectors, it gives me great pleasure to welcome our Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP."
In his remarks, Sir Keir announced the launch of Skills England: "I am delighted that today we’re launching Skills England and appointing Richard Pennycook as the interim chair. And I’m excited for the work that we can do together.
"I’ve just met this morning some fantastic apprentices, bright, energic, intelligent…an absolute credit to Airbus and Rolls Royce.
"Now I’ve met the apprentices in both Airbus and Rolls Royce many times before – almost all of my speeches in the last two or three years have featured examples of the work that they are doing. And it was brilliant to meet them here again this morning. Some of them were from a group that I met just a few months ago in Derby. So to review that, one of them was just two weeks into her apprenticeship. And so they were an incredible reminder of the talent that we have going forward."
"All too often young people in our country have been let down. Not given access to the right opportunities or training in their community. And that has created an overreliance in our economy on higher and higher levels of migration.
"Now – I don’t for a second want to demean any of that. I do not criticise business who hire overseas workers and I certainly don’t diminish the contribution that migration makes, to our economy, to our public services and of course to our communities.
"Migration is part of our national story – it always has been and always will be. And yet – if you stand back, as a system, it cannot be right that some people don’t get to feel the pride of making a contribution. The dignity of work…
"Just because we can’t find a way of creating a coherent skills system. That can’t be right.
"So – I have to say – we won’t be content just to pull the easy lever of importing skills. We’re going to fire up the training of more UK workers and match peoples’ aspirations – which I know are there – with more opportunity.
"And in doing this we will drive growth. Because if there is one thing we know that will drive innovation and accelerate productivity. It’s having the skilled workers you need to grow your business.
"Skills England will work with the Migration Advisory Committee. We will identify current and future skills gaps, put in place plans to address those gaps and reduce our long-term reliance on overseas workers.
"We will also identify the training on which the Growth and Skills Levy can be spent, something that I’ve spent many hours discussing with many people in this room. You told me it was not flexible enough, didn’t work well enough for you.
"Well we will change that with the Growth and Skills Levy, giving you more flexibility to spend funds on the training that you think is really necessary.
"And Skills England will also bring together central and local government, training providers and unions, working together in broader partnership with business.
"So today with the launch of Skills England we’re putting that partnership into action."