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ELC and UKEA Set Strategy for UK Electronics

A high level summit of senior industrialists and executives of the UK electronics industry has set out to define a joint strategy to address the issues facing this key driver of the UK economy

The meeting, which took place earlier this month, was the first joint session of the Electronics Leadership Council (ELC) and the UK Electronics Alliance (of trade associations) and provided a forum in which these two key groups were able to align strategy to address the issues raised in the Electronics and Innovation Growth Team Report “2015 - Making a Visible Difference”.

Major areas of discussion included the need to attract fresh talent into the UK electronics sector, an issue that affects every aspect of the industry in some way. The consensus was that the electronics industry continues to face serious skills gaps in many disciplines and urgently needs to look at ways of addressing these. One initiative which has already demonstrated some success is the appointment of “Ambassadors” in Schools to promote career paths in engineering and encourage the take up of Science Technology Engineering and Maths; the so called STEM agenda. It was concluded that full support should be given to increasing the number of Ambassadors from the electronics sector in the SETNET scheme.

The possible opportunities and threats which may arise when the UK adopts the changes to the State Aids regime currently under negotiation in Brussels were also debated. While this is unlikely to result in any new money being made available for the sector there is a clear opportunity for industry to work with all of the UK’s Development Agencies in order to maximise the advantages that may accrue. This work will form part of a wider agenda to raise the profile of electronics with the Regions and influence the support they offer to the sector.

Also discussed was the recent formation of the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network (EKTN) under the chairmanship of ELC member, David Kynaston. The meeting concurred with Kynaston’s recommendation that the EKTN should focus on the likely future disruptive technologies and the business skills and market opportunities which will enable them to succeed.

Speaking at the conclusion of the summit, ELC chairman, Harry Tee, said: “It is crucial for the future success and prosperity of UK electronics that we can encourage all parts of the industry to work together to address the common challenges that we face. This first meeting between the ELC and UKEA has demonstrated the value of this approach, enabling us to align strategy for the future development of our industry. By sharing ideas and views and collaborating on future initiatives, we will be all the more effective in catalysing the UK electronics sector as a vehicle for economic growth, innovation and commercial success.” (PDF30KB)

Date added: 18 October 2006