The chief executive of a world-leading aviation business said today’s Budget had not done enough to back British manufacturing.
Graham Corfield, head of step-free boarding ramp manufacturer Aviramp, said Chancellor John Healey should have gone further in supporting the nation’s ‘engine room of growth’.
Graham, whose Telford-based company this week announced its largest-ever recruitment drive for 50 posts, said manufacturers remained under pressure from rising costs and skills shortages and needed a stronger commitment to long-term industrial growth and exports.
“While there are some welcome measures aimed at supporting investment and economic stability – particularly around defence – I don’t believe this Budget goes far enough to unlock the full potential of British manufacturing,” he said.
Graham said Aviramp’s growth – more than 950 of its ramps are now in use around the world and it is preparing to move to a larger base to meet demand – showed what could be achieved if manufacturing and international trade was supported.
“Businesses like ours are ambitious. We want to invest, recruit and export, but we need a policy environment that gives us the confidence to do all that. Manufacturing is one of the UK’s greatest strengths and the engine room of the country’s growth and must be put at the heart of its economic strategy.”
Graham said one of the biggest barriers facing businesses was the ongoing challenge of recruiting and developing skilled workers and the costs surrounding employment.
“Every manufacturer I speak to is wrestling with the same issue. We need more engineers, more technicians, more apprentices and more young people choosing careers in industry. But we are facing unprecedented costs with the increase in minimum wage and the increased NICs from the previous Budget.
“There must be greater investment in apprenticeships and more flexibility in skills funding because the current system is simply not delivering enough people with the qualifications employers need.”