BRITISH MANUFACTURING : CABLE & CLEGG DO THE ROUNDS

Over the last week the gentlemen of Westminster have been out and about promoting British manufacturing. Above is a video of Nick Clegg at the Brompton factory in west London. Below are some of the key quotes from the speech Vince Cable gave last week:

'How many people do we meet who repeat the silly and inaccurate observation that "we don't make things any more"? This message has had a deeply corrosive effect in discouraging a younger generation from seeking a career in engineering or taking up industrial apprenticeships. It also helped encouraged the idea that young people should rather attempt to become a star footballer, an investment banker or a pop star - which can bring riches, but for a very small handful. The negativity about the perception of manufacturing has become a bigger problem than the reality.'

'There has to be a sense that manufacturing offers a good, attractive, career opportunity through skill training for school leavers and for graduates. Partly this is about capturing the imagination of what it will be like in the industries of the future. It is also about communicating that average salaries are comparable to those in the legal or financial services.'