Government launches defence strategy with focus on jobs and skills

The Government will next week launch a new Defence Industrial Strategy aimed at making the UK a leader in defence innovation, with jobs and skills placed at the centre of the plan.

The strategy will include the creation of five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges to ensure industry has the skilled workforce needed for the future.

The announcement follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to BAE Scotstoun, where he met shipyard workers to mark a £10bn deal with Norway for Type 26 frigates, supporting 4,000 UK jobs into the next decade.

The Government said the new strategy will back British businesses, strengthen the Armed Forces and ensure record defence spending delivers for people across the UK.

Defence spending is set to rise to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% in the next Parliament.

The package includes £182m in new funding to develop skills ranging from submarine engineers to cyber warfare specialists, alongside £80m for universities to expand places in engineering and computer science.

Thousands of short courses will be funded to allow defence employers to upskill staff, and a new apprenticeship and graduate clearing system is planned for 2026, alongside a Defence Skills Passport to improve career mobility across the sector.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: “It’s British workers who gave UK companies the leading edge in defence innovation and industry.

“Our Defence Industrial Strategy puts skills at the heart of the Government’s plans to make the country safer and boost jobs across the UK.

“This is the biggest defence skills plan in decades, a plan to boost Britain’s security and create well paid, high-skilled jobs for young people for generations to come.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “The defence sector doesn’t just keep the British people safe; it drives growth and unlocks opportunities for young people to learn pioneering skills and pursue a great career.

“This investment and our new Defence Technical Excellence Colleges will break down barriers to opportunity for people in every corner of our country, drive economic growth as part of our Plan for Change and secure the UK’s place in the world, putting us at the cutting edge of innovation and new technology.”