Manufacturing communities need a champion: What could Burnham’s industrial vision mean for industry in Wales?

Jack Sargeant

Andy Burnham’s decision to put himself forward for the Labour leadership has prompted an important discussion about Britain’s industrial future, and its one that matters for north-east Wales.

During a recent visit to support his campaign in Makerfield, I was struck by how closely it resembles my own community of Connah’s Quay. Both are shaped by industry, both are heavily influenced by their proximity to Merseyside and Manchester, and both were hugely impacted by the loss of major industries in the 1980s.

Having been brought up in similar communities, it is not hard to understand why I share Andy’s passion for reindustrialisation and for ensuring that Wales and the UK have the skills base it needs to achieve it.

As Wales’s former Skills Minister, and as a trained engineer myself, it is important to me to continue contributing to this debate.

Last week, Andy set out his vision for driving regional growth through investment in manufacturing.

From a Welsh perspective, his priorities align closely with the opportunities and challenges facing the nation’s economy, particularly in north-west and north-east Wales.

One of the greatest opportunities for Wales lies in developing a highly skilled workforce to support the growing nuclear sector in Ynys Môn. With the existing expertise surrounding Wylfa, Wales is well positioned to play a significant role in the UK’s future energy security ambitions.

He consistently argues that economic renewal must be built around technical education, skills development and strong links between industry and academia. In Wales, this would mean greater investment in apprenticeships, engineering qualifications, research partnerships and specialist training facilities capable of producing the next generation of nuclear engineers, technicians and project managers.

Skills

For north-west Wales, the challenge is not simply attracting investment into major energy projects, but ensuring that local people possess the skills required to secure the high-quality, well-paid jobs those projects create. A renewed focus on vocational education and regional skills planning could help retain talent in the region while supporting long-term economic growth.

North-east Wales already represents one of the UK’s most significant manufacturing clusters, with strengths in aerospace, automotive, advanced materials and high-value engineering. From Deeside Industrial Park to the advanced manufacturing base stretching across Flintshire and Wrexham, the region has become a critical contributor to both the Welsh and UK economies.

This emphasis on advanced manufacturing clusters mirrors the economic model already evident across north-east Wales.

For Wales, a similar approach could see stronger support for manufacturing centres in Flintshire, increased investment in research and development, and enhanced collaboration between industry and institutions such as Wrexham University, Coleg Cambria and AMRC Cymru.

Having someone like Andy speaking about skills and technical training is a real benefit. It inspires people. I remember that my own journey into engineering was inspired by the Formula One in Schools programme, but that spark has to be there for young people.

For children in north Wales, a Prime Minister speaking passionately about manufacturing jobs and training opportunities, especially a Prime Minister who sounds very similar to them, would be genuinely inspiring.

Industrial Strategy

We are now a year on from the publication of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy. That marked an important shift in national thinking, placing manufacturing, regional growth and long-term investment back at the centre of economic policy. The challenge now is turning strategy into delivery.

Manufacturing supply chains do not stop at national or regional boundaries. During my time working in engineering services, we supplied customers across north Wales, north-west England and the Midlands. Success in one region creates opportunities across them all.

Ultimately, the greatest opportunity for Wales is to ensure that Welsh communities have the skills, infrastructure and support needed to benefit fully from the industries of the future. Andy clearly understands that challenge, and I, for one, am genuinely excited by what that could mean for manufacturing as a growth sector and for Wales as a nation.

Jack Sargeant was the Welsh Labour Senedd Member for Alyn and Deeside until May. He served as Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership in the Welsh Government. A time-served engineer with a degree in industrial engineering, before politics he worked as a machinist at an engineering services company and as a research and development engineer with Atlas Copco.