Cumbria is home to some fantastic developments and major employers who are seeking to put themselves at the cutting edge of high-tech manufacturing and production processes.

Advanced manufacturing growth is one of four priority themes which underpin Cumbria’s Strategic Economic Plan. And the county has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in advanced manufacturing, nuclear engineering, energy and food production.


In the nuclear field especially, we have the capability to lead the way on large-scale, nationally-significant nuclear infrastructure projects that will contribute towards economic growth, not just for Cumbria but for the UK as a whole. The proposed Moorside Nuclear Power Station will employ 1,000 people and account for seven per cent of the UK’s future electricity requirement when it is completed.

Cumbria’s nuclear and energy excellence is also contributing to the growth of a plethora of market-leading specialist engineering companies. Together with some major international firms, they are part of an increasingly productive and influential cluster of industrial expertise. They design submarines and specialise in subsea technologies; they support the oil and gas industry; they manufacture electrical components, pharmaceuticals, food and textiles.

Ensuring we have a workforce to meet the future needs of these employers is an integral part of Cumbria LEP’s economic strategy too. The new Advanced Manufacturing Centres at Furness and Carlisle Colleges are the first of their kind in Cumbria, offering state-of-the-art training facilities to give students access to the latest high-tech equipment and machinery.

The new advanced manufacturing centre at Carlisle College, which comprises of a high-tech refurbishment of its existing engineering department, is due to open this year. It is set to include a simulated production line for training, but more importantly, it has been designed with input from key local advanced manufacturing firms such as Pirelli Tyres and Cadworks.

A particular, although not exclusive focus, will be placed upon the food and drink sector with the likes of McVitie’s, Calder Foods and Princes Foods on the doorstep.

Supported with £1m in regional growth funding via Cumbria LEP, the centre will deliver an integrated, employer-led curriculum at all levels in the engineering, manufacturing and processing sectors. It will cover three distinct disciplines: manufacturing and fabrication, process and control, and design and prototyping.

The centres have been designed to focus on science, technology, engineering and maths-related disciplines and to help more local people gain the skills and qualifications they need to access new jobs in advanced manufacturing, nuclear and biopharmaceuticals.

They will also help provide technology-led businesses with a supply of skilled staff. We need to prepare tomorrow’s engineers and technicians for the workplace and enable current workers to retrain and enhance their skills.

If Cumbria can become globally recognised as a leading location for advanced manufacturing industries, helping the likes of BAE Systems, GSK and Pirelli to expand, that will attract other businesses to locate here and add to the growth of our local supply chains.