The new Government Department for Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is consulting on a Green Paper on how the UK should develop its industrial strategy.

AMDEA was one of 25 Trade Associations attending a roundtable organised by the Confederation of British Industry this month to talk to BEIS about what matters for their members.

Obviously, those who represent small British-owned family run companies have different priorities from global multi-nationals, with all the variations in between. But there is widespread agreement on a number of issues, including the value of training; the need to be able to recruit skilled staff easily from abroad; and the importance of encouraging innovation and enhancing long-term productivity. One point made was that innovation is often viewed as academic discoveries being taken up by industry, rather than businesses coming up with innovative ideas that would benefit from government support!

It is also clear that the Government’s Industrial Strategy will need to include consideration of all the matters that are currently dealt with at a European level by bodies in other Member States.