SupportingWorcestershire’s Key Sectors
Worcestershire has a distinctive and varied economic geography and its
diversity makes it renowned for many key industries. The LEP will be
inclusive in supporting sectors or businesses which are established or
would like to establish in Worcestershire. However in order to drive
forward economic growth and enhance Worcestershire’s competitive
edge the LEP will primarily focus on supporting the following sectors:
•
Manufacturing
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When benchmarking against other LEPs Worcestershire still
has a high number of employees working in the manufacturing sector (14%).
There is a strong automotive supply chain which links with Jaguar Land Rover
and other first tier car manufacturers. Although higher technology manufacturing
activity is present in the County through companies such as Morgan Motors,
Yamasaki Mazak, Harris Brush, Brintons, Worcester Bosch, Morgan Ceramics,
and GKN, a high proportion of employment remains within low technology
manufacturing.
•
Cyber Security and Defence
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Worcestershire is the home to QinetiQ in
Malvern and the Malvern Hills Science Park has given birth to a number of
spin out companies. We have a vital and emerging Cyber Security sector which
is a growth sector with the potential to embed itself across Worcestershire.
This sector has the ability to harness growth across boundaries into neighbouring
LEPs especially the Marches with its military history and current focus on the
Hereford Enterprise Zone, and Gloucestershire with GCHQ.
•
Tourism
-
The LEP will seek to significantly add impetus in raising awareness
of Worcestershire as a tourism destination within a bigger game plan as ‘the
place to live, work, play and invest in’. For tourism there must be a particular
focus on improving the County’s tourism infrastructure and both quantum and
range of hotel provision, including top quality business and destination hotels.
It will develop private sector support by engaging them in promoting the
Worcestershire offer.
•
Horticulture and Food Production
-
The Heart of Horticulture study highlights
that despite having just 13% of the West Midlands horticulture businesses
Worcestershire accounts for 20% of the financial output. This highlights the
benefits of Worcestershire’s central location which uniquely enables produce to
be picked and packed in one day and to be on supermarket shelves
anywhere in mainland Britain the next morning. UK should be growing
more of its food at home, thereby reducing both imports and food miles,
and Worcestershire has the opportunity to increase food production
through investment in new technologies. Logistically, Worcestershire
is ideally located within Britain.
•
Environmental Technology
-
The County boasts a number of high
profile businesses working successfully in the low carbon sector, and
hosts innovative schemes taking the lead in sustainable construction
and energy. The drive for carbon reduction and energy efficiency offers
Worcestershire new business opportunities in developing low carbon
products, technologies and services. Some such green energy
production initiatives will follow from the increase in green waste
under plans for expansion of locally grown food production.
These are not exclusive sectors, we recognise that the private sector is
identifying and investing in opportunities, where the market dictates. As the
LEP we recognise that we will need to work with the market including SMEs
to develop new and emerging sectors or individual proposals that add value
to the Worcestershire economy. In some cases the LEP will need to facilitate,
negotiate and support private sector proposals to ensure these opportunities
are exploited in the County.
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