Government To Bail Out Industry With Green Boost

A new government strategy should help the UK’s faltering manufacturing industry grow into the new green niche with £150 million dedicated to initiate new low-carbon industry. This grant could create 1 million "green-collar" positions throughout the country. The money will primarily go to the construction of a new research centre in Coventry and 2 new Whitehall departments which will work to promote greater use of green production.

The centre in Coventry will offer facilities for demonstration and pre-production. Government officials hope that this centre will bring in £130 million in the form of new investments for research at the centre for the next 10 years. This will eventually create a network with its sister sites at Yorkshire and Glasgow.

The new Office of Nuclear Development is also planning to get in on the action. They hope to place themselves at the forefront for the rising developments in nuclear power. A new strategy will place them firmly inside the growing power supply chain. This move should secure £20 billion in new investments as the rush for nuclear power continues. The Office of Renewable Development will be established soon to take similar measures toward the new renewable energy industry.

Another important part of the plan is the goal to create more manufacturing apprenticeships. The government seeks an additional 10% to aid the development of more low-carbon manufacturing. Words of support from the CBI and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers were mixed with words of caution. The CBI warns that the new strategy is good but that it will only work with the help of a serious procurement strategy in the public sector. The government attempted to institute such a strategy earlier this year, but studies found that few members of the public sector even used the new power to call for green products.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was more concerned with the apprenticeship program, citing a lack of young engineers to take the available slots. They mentioned their specific fear that the average engineer is roughly 58-years-old and that only immediate action could prevent a serious lull as the industry recovers.

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