Tag: Press Release

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 7 September 2025.

Landmark Scotland partnership to create jobs and harness military innovations.

• Pioneering scheme to unleash potential from Scotland-based businesses and research institutions.
• Scotland to receive share of £250 million funding to forge long-term partnerships that will boost the local economy and benefit the UK Armed Forces.
• Builds on Scotland being key to innovation in the space and maritime sectors, driving job creation and cutting-edge research and development.

Scotland’s economy will be boosted by a pioneering defence programme – backed as part of a £250 million UK-wide investment – to improve collaboration, foster innovation and create jobs.

Defence Growth Deals are being created as part of a bold initiative to support the growth potential of the defence industry, underpinned by the historic increase in defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and the ambition to hit 3% in the next Parliament.

Utilising a share of a £250 million of money for UK Defence Growth Deals, Scotland will forge a long-term partnership between the UK and Devolved Governments, uniting business and research institutions in the nation to harness local expertise and resources in support of the UK Armed Forces.

Defence Secretary John Healey will today [Monday 8 September] announce the new venture as part of the launch of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which will make Defence an engine for growth.

Central to the DIS, the Defence Growth Deals will unlock growth, innovation, and job creation within key concentrations of defence and dual-use industry across the country, while bolstering the resilience of the UK’s defence industrial base.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

The Defence Industrial Strategy will make defence an engine for growth in Scotland, backing jobs, industry and innovators.

Defence Growth Deals offer a new partnership with UK defence to build on industrial and innovation strengths that regions already hold. Together we aim to drive an increase in defence skills and jobs across Scotland.

We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a defence firm and will put Britain at the leading edge of innovation.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said:

This is a plan for good jobs paying decent wages in Scotland and beyond.

Through Defence Growth Deals we will unleash the power of local economies while securing our country – building an economy that works for working people, in every part of this country, just as our Plan for Change promised.

Latest statistics show that more than 11,000 people in Scotland are already employed due to MOD industry spending, and this work will ensure every ounce of the sector’s potential is realised, driving economic growth and delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.

Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander said:

The UK Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy will mean a real boost for Scotland’s economy and create highly skilled jobs for years to come – this is the defence dividend. Just last week we saw a £10 billion shipbuilding contract come to Clydeside – that is a fantastic example of what can be achieved with a government committed to ensuring Scotland benefits from the global rise in defence spending. Scotland’s defence sector is second to none, and our Defence Industrial Strategy will help ensure it has a thriving future, as part of our Plan for Change.

Scotland brings a dynamic mix of growth industries to the UK’s defence capabilities, from a rapidly advancing space sector to next-generation maritime innovation centred around the Clyde and Rosyth. The nation’s critical technology superclusters are anchored by world-class academic institutions like the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, creating a fertile environment for defence research and development.

Scotland’s shipbuilding heritage combined with its emerging space technologies makes it uniquely positioned to benefit from this Defence Growth Deal, driving innovation and job creation across traditional maritime sectors and cutting-edge aerospace industries that will strengthen Britain’s defence industrial base.

The nation will have its Defence Growth Deal unveiled in the coming months, working with the Devolved Government and other key stakeholders, the Ministry of Defence is launching a bespoke growth deal which will harness the distinct opportunities and strengths in the nation.

Detailed policy proposals will be developed collaboratively; areas of focus are expected to include:

• Skills – addressing regional workforce needs and future capability requirements;
• Innovation – supporting research, development, and adoption of new technologies;
• Procurement – aligning local supply chains with Defence priorities;
• Investment – targeting funding to unlock economic and strategic value;
• Partnership – fostering impactful relationships that deliver for the people of Scotland.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 7 September 2025.

Working families across the country will be provided opportunities through the Defence Industrial Strategy, from highly skilled engineering positions to apprenticeships for young people starting their careers, ensuring that the defence dividend is felt in communities from Cornwall to the Highlands.

• Defence Industrial Strategy launched by Defence Secretary on visit to Veteran-founded, high-tech UK firm.
• Additional £250 million to unleash the potential of local authorities, businesses and research institutions to support UK defence while boosting economic benefits.
• UK to be the best place in the world to start and grow a defence firm, better equipping the Armed Forces and driving economic growth under the Plan for Change.

Working families across the country will be provided opportunities through the Defence Industrial Strategy, from highly skilled engineering positions to apprenticeships for young people starting their careers, ensuring that the defence dividend is felt in communities from Cornwall to the Highlands.

Defence Secretary John Healey will launch the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) on a visit to defence technology firm Rowden, in Bristol, where he will open the firm’s new facility. Veteran-founded firm Rowden produce critical sensing and decision-making capabilities for the Armed Forces and significant growth in recent years means they now boast an engineering and production footprint of more than 20,000 sq ft in Bristol.

Central to the DIS, local economies will be boosted through the launch of a £250 million fund for Defence Growth Deals – which will improve collaboration, foster innovation and create jobs in areas with untapped potential.

Five initial Defence Growth Deals will be created across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Building on the success of the Team Barrow approach at the home of nuclear submarine building in Barrow-in-Furness, Defence Growth Deals will identify areas with high growth potential, and bring together industry, local and national government and academia to make sure that potential is realised.

Each Defence Growth Deal will combine defence and wider government investment to harness local sub-sector strengths, drive innovation, and deliver tailored support where needed, such as in skills, housing, and planning, to boost local economies, attract private investment, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Initial ADS analysis indicates there could be an additional demand of up to 50,000 defence jobs by 2034/35 with increases in defence spending. Defence Growth Deals will play an important role in capitalising on that skilled employment potential for communities across the UK.

The five deals will be backed by a total of £250 million of defence spending over the next five years, underpinned by this Government’s historic increase in defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and the ambition to hit 3% in the next Parliament.

They will forge long-term partnerships between national, devolved and local government, uniting businesses and research institutions to harness local expertise and resources in defence and the dual-use sectors. They will support the UK Armed Forces and deliver benefits for working people through the government’s Plan for Change.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

The Defence Industrial Strategy will make defence an engine for growth across the UK, backing British jobs, British industry and British innovators.

Defence Growth Deals offer a new partnership with UK Defence to build on industrial and innovation strengths that regions already hold. Together we aim to drive an increase in defence skills, SMEs and jobs across all four nations.

We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a defence firm and will put Britain at the leading edge of innovation.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said:

This is a plan for good jobs paying decent wages in Cardiff, Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield, Plymouth and beyond.

Through Defence Growth Deals we will unleash the power of local economies while securing our country – building an economy that works for working people, in every part of this country, just as our Plan for Change promised.

Innovation and industrial power are central to deterrence and decisive factors in war. The conflict in Ukraine provides a stark reminder of the imperative of the necessity for fast replenishment and resupply by industry, and a rapid, continual cycle of innovation between industry and the front line.

The first Defence Growth Deals will be in:

• Plymouth – Home to the largest naval base in Western Europe, which will see £4 billion of investment over a 10-year period, the city has recently been designated as the national centre for marine autonomy to drive further innovation in the crucial maritime autonomous systems sector.
• South Yorkshire – A key region for the research, development and engineering of high-grade components and materials critical to the next generation of maritime, land and air capabilities. This includes specialist steel for gun barrels and nuclear submarines.
• Wales – The country is becoming a leader in UAV development and testing, from companies such as Tekever in Pembrokeshire, to testing sites including the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, and academic institutions including the Welsh Centre for Defence Autonomy.
• Scotland – Home to a dynamic mix of growth industries, from a rapidly advancing space sector, to next generation maritime innovation centred around the Clyde and Rosyth, and critical technology superclusters anchored by world-class academic institutions.
• Northern Ireland – Home to a diverse range of defence and dual use SMEs, the country is recognised as a leading cyber security hub, boosted by Queen’s University Belfast’s Centre for Secure Information Technologies and Momentum One Zero. It is also home to Thales and Harland & Wolff, companies that are critical to our support to Ukraine and our maritime strength.
• The DIS is a long-term investment in both security and high-growth economy – by strengthening the industrial base and preparing for future challenges, it will unlock defence’s potential as an engine for growth under the Government’s Plan for Change.

The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 6 September 2025.

UK jobs and skills will be the driving force behind making the country a defence industrial leader under a transformative new strategy to be launched next week.

• £182 million boost for defence talent pipeline, delivering on economic growth through the Plan for Change.
• In-demand defence technical skills to be boosted through five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, offering new opportunities into defence jobs.
• Landmark Defence Industrial Strategy set to back British business and adopt innovation lessons from Ukraine.

UK jobs and skills will be the driving force behind making the country a defence industrial leader under a transformative new strategy to be launched next week [Monday 8 September], including the creation of five defence-focused Technical Excellence Colleges to ensure industry has the workforce needed for the future.

It follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to BAE Scotstoun where he met shipyard workers to celebrate the UK securing a £10 billion deal with Norway for Type 26 frigates, which will support 4,000 British jobs well into the next decade. The deal highlights the government’s work to back British companies on the global stage and secure working people’s futures.

The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) will further back British businesses, putting the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation in NATO and ensuring this government’s record uplift in defence spending delivers a lasting dividend for people in every nation and region.

It will deliver a more integrated, innovative, and resilient defence sector and better equipped Armed Forces – supported by the historic increase in defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and the ambition to hit 3% in the next Parliament.

New funding of £182 million will support a comprehensive package aimed at harnessing the skills needed for the future, from submarine engineers to specialist welders, and the cyber warfare specialists defence will need in the years to come. Defence is the engine room of national renewal, and this investment is focused on the future of the people who will be driving that work.

The DIS will support more opportunities for young people, help our Veterans into employment and equip the UK workforce with the expertise needed to meet the new era of threat set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR), and the demands of a rapidly evolving defence sector to innovate at a wartime pace.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

It’s British workers who gave UK companies the leading edge in defence innovation and industry.

Our Defence Industrial Strategy puts skills at the heart of the Government’s plans to make the country safer and boost jobs across the UK.

This is the biggest defence skills plan in decades, a plan to boost Britain’s security and create well paid, high-skilled jobs for young people for generations to come.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

The defence sector doesn’t just keep the British people safe; it drives growth and unlocks opportunities for young people to learn pioneering skills and pursue a great career.

This investment and our new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will break down barriers to opportunity for people in every corner of our country, drive economic growth as part of our Plan for Change and secure the UK’s place in the world, putting us at the cutting edge of innovation and new technology.

The Government’s comprehensive defence skills package centres on establishing five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, training people in the skills needed to secure new defence jobs in this growing industry, with applications to go live by the end of this calendar year, and successful TECs to be launched in 2026.

The package will fund thousands of short courses so that defence employers can upskill new hires and existing staff more quickly. Investing £80 million in our world leading universities will mean they can invest in cutting edge facilities and expand places for more people to study subjects like engineering and computer science that are critical to defence innovation.

This flagship initiative is complemented by ambitious regional STEM programmes designed to engage thousands of school-age students across four years, actively encouraging them to pursue defence careers.

Retention and career mobility are addressed through a new apprenticeship and graduate clearing system launching in 2026, plus scoping an innovative Defence Skills Passport which could facilitate smoother transitions for mid-career professionals between the Armed Forces, defence industry, and related sectors.

The package is a strong demonstration of making defence an engine for growth, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.

Background

The skills package includes:

• Establishing five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges with applications to go live by the end of this calendar year, and with successful TECs to be launched in 2026.
• Regional STEM initiatives to engage thousands of school-age students over the next four years to pursue careers in defence.
• Targeted short courses for people working in specific defence industries looking to progress their careers by boosting their skills.
• Investing in the higher education sector to boost places on defence-related courses.
• Establishing a Defence Universities Alliance, which will support and encourage defence sector careers and ethical defence research.
• Explore working with partners, such as UCAS, to provide a wealth of online information, advice, and guidance for prospective students interested in a career in the defence sector.
• A new apprenticeship and graduate clearing-style system to help support career opportunities across the defence supply-chain.
• Helping retain our people by scoping a Defence Skills Passport that could enable smoother transfer of mid-career professionals between the Armed Forces, the defence industry and those looking to re-enter from neighbouring industries.
• Launching a new Destination Defence campaign, working with industry to promote the breadth of exciting roles available across the sector and the opportunities for people to keep our nation safe.