Scotland’s crucial role in UK defence is to be boosted, as Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard and Secretary of State for Scotland, Douglas Alexander today launched a landmark £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal.
- Defence funding for new engineering and innovation facilities in the East and West of Scotland will create good, well-paid jobs in a boost for the future workforce.
- The UK Government commits to two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges, one to be established in East Scotland and one in West Scotland, if match funding is provided by the Scottish Government.
- Scotland already benefits from over £2 billion a year in MOD spending and nearly 12,000 supported jobs.
The new Clyde Engineering and Innovation Centre near HMNB Clyde will receive £5 million, creating a new commercial facility that will drive advances in digital systems, data science and automation. Crucially, it will open these capabilities up to small businesses, helping them find practical solutions for shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing - sectors where Scotland already punches above its weight on the world stage.
The Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus (AGIC) at Rosyth will also receive £5 million and is a global centre of excellence for manufacturing capability that will transform large-scale manufacturing through the adoption and application of emerging technologies into real-world use. It will further build advanced skills and support the growth of the marine and advanced manufacturing sectors in the UK.
The UK Government will also fund a £10 million skills package towards the creation of two Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs). If the Scottish Government provide match funding, these colleges would develop new specialist pathways into high-skilled, well-paid careers in defence engineering, advanced manufacturing and maritime technology. These will be located to support Scotland’s defence clusters in the East and West of the country.