Defence Online

AGP Parliamentary event

Air September 13, 2016

September 12^th saw the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) host a busy event at the House of Commons.

The purpose of the event was to brief Parliamentarians on the value of industrial strategies such as this, and to show the success of the AGP so far.

Designed to bring together industry and government in partnership to provide a stable environment that encourages growth, secures long-term investment, boosts employment and enables UK companies to compete in tough international markets.

Yesterday, Parliamentarians were given an overview of the next phase of AGP initiatives, all of which are detailed in its recently-launched strategy document The Means of Ascent, these include:

• Announcing the UK Aerospace Supply Chain Competitiveness Charter. The largest aerospace companies committing to promoting structured continuous improvement programmes, sharing growth opportunities with suppliers, and supporting dissemination of innovative technology across the UK economy
• Driving of technological innovation forward with the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI)
• Empowering aerospace companies to identify and invest in the skills they need with the AGP skills working group
• Ensuring that opportunities for investment by aerospace companies large and small across all regions in the UK is encouraged.

Colin Smith, industry chair of the AGP said: “The Aerospace Growth Partnership event was a great opportunity to engage with MPs and demonstrate why political support is critical to the success of industries, such as aerospace, which make a strategically important contribution to the UK. The AGP continues to deliver progress which is enabling UK aerospace to grow and compete globally. With the Supply Chain Charter, there is now an enhanced initiative in place to support companies of all sizes with structured continuous improvement programmes so they are in great shape to seize opportunities.”

A centre-piece of the event was an Airbus virtual reality simulator where MPs were invited to pilot an A350 through the Welsh Valleys and land an A380.

Paul Everitt, CEO of ADS Group said: “It was great to give MPs an insight into the support the aerospace industrial strategy has delivered to companies of all sizes and the help available to sustain growth and high-skill employment across the UK.”

“The Aerospace Growth Partnership is now an enduring part of the aerospace landscape and the recently refreshed strategy captured in ‘the means of Ascent’ demonstrates industry and Government’s commitment to making sure the UK retains its share of the growing global markets for civil aerospace products and services.”

A number of other initiatives were represented at the event including: the Aerospace Technology Institute, which invests in transformative R&D projects that enable UK companies to stay ahead of the competition; Sharing in Growth – an AGP initiative set up in 2013 to deliver a £250M programme of intensive supplier development over four years to support 64 UK suppliers; and National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme, which helps small and medium-sized suppliers develop their own innovative technologies to enhance their capabilities and increase their ability to win new business with higher tier companies anywhere in the world.

Photo, left to right: Katherine Bennett OBE, Vice President, Airbus and Chair AGP engagement group with the Rt Hon Thangham Debbonaire MP, event sponsor

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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.