Brexit Boost bringing business back to Britain

Brexit boost bringing international business back to Britain (Image: Getty) The job-boosting move is seen as a sign British manufacturing can again become a significant global player. Metal firm boss Rowan Crozier said: ‘The opportunities are there. They’re starting to be realised on shopfloors all over the country. However, there is still a big skills challenge to make sure we have the technical competences required to really seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity. ‘If we build the skills base I’m pretty certain global business will come.’ Tory MP and Express columnist Esther McVey couldn’t hide her delight at the news. She said: ‘This is exactly the type of Brexit boost many of us campaigned for in the referendum. ‘British businesses investing more in home grown talent is exactly what we envisaged – and it is fantastic that we are beginning to see signs of this happening. ‘There is more we can do to make the most of our Brexit freedoms, but this shows the appetite is there for the benefits a truly independent UK can bring.’ Despite doom-mongers writing off global Britain, Brexit has provided immense opportunities for a myriad of companies that are the backbone of the economy. Since we quit the bloc on January 31, 2020 Brandauer, a 160-year-old family firm, has secured more than £2million of new business with clients in France, Holland and Slovakia. it has invested heavily in technology and staff to offer prices that rival China and quality that beats competitors in Germany. Central to its success has been reshoring. The latest state-of-the-nation report into UK manufacturing is positive with 25% of firms saying they have successfully brought contracts back to Britain over the past 12 months. A similar number has started the process. But more than half feel they do not yet have the right skills to reshore. ‘If we build skills base I’m pretty certain global business will come’ (Image: Getty) The latest In-Comm Training Barometer reveals 53% said they would need to invest in boosting workforce skills to bring work home. The findings from more than 100 major-player manufacturers suggests a hugely optimistic outlook, but stresses that to seize rizes up for grabs firms will have to grow their own staff. Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training, which runs two state-of-the-art technical academies in the Midlands, said: ‘Engineering and manufacturing seem very buoyant and we’re constantly hearing stories of growth and new opportunities. Our barometer echoes this, but also paints a picture of a sector massively hamstrung by a lack of skills.’ Cumbria-based Playdale Playgrounds employs 100 people and has built 24,000 playgrounds in 51 countries. Managing director Barry Leahey said that with Covid restrictions lifted ‘we are doing business face-to-face around the world. I would say to people who don’t think they can trade internationally after Brexit , it’s a mindset. If you want to be a victim and come second then don’t start. If you want to be top of your game as a business then it’s like being an athlete and you have to put in the work.’ Eight in 10 companies say they plan to take on an apprentice next year, almost double last year. It suggests firms are already taking a longer-term approach to overcoming skills shortages. Tory MP and Express columnist Esther McVey couldn’t hide her delight at the news (Image: Getty) The buoyant mood comes weeks after Jaguar Land Rover-owner Tata confirmed plans to build a £4billion electric car battery factory in Somerset, creating 4,000 jobs. Tony Hague, boss of PP Control & Automation, said: ‘Tata’s announcement is such a strategically important investment for the UK, not only for the direct jobs it will create but in the impact it will have on the downward supply chain required to support it. ‘Let’s use this opportunity to really invest and upskill in the wider engineering sectors so we have a competitive UK-centric supply chain that can take advantage of further opportunities.’ Eight in 10 companies say they plan to take on an apprentice next year, almost double last year (Image: Getty) The UK remains the ninth largest manufacturing nation with annual output of £190 billion. The positivity pulsating through British business comes as tens of thousands of students are shunning university for apprenticeships. Analysis shows 67% of firms hired a rookie in the past 12 months with 97% keeping them all. Two thirds have to taking on more over the next year – up from 47 per cent in 2021. Two thirds of firms said a desire to develop future talent was their primary objective in investing in apprenticeships, followed by plugging a skills gap and retaining skills. The soaring cost of inflation was cited as a significant barrier to attracting and retaining staff, while management worries about a skills drain that comes from older workers retiring was a factor with 70% concerned about the impact of an exodus of experienced staff on customers. The success of global-facing British businesses comes as Freeports gather pace. They are special zones benefitting from simplified customs procedures, relief on duties, tax benefits, and development flexibility, essentially making them turbocharged special economic zones. In March two bids were submitted for Wales. The Celtic Freeport – covering Milford Haven and Port Talbot – and the Anglesey Freeport in North Wales – were the Principality’s first and aiming to attract £4.9 billion in public and private investments, with the potential to create 20,000 jobs by 2030.