The recent survey from Ernst & Young emphasising the importance to the UK economy of the 'Made in Britain' stamp in promoting our goods is to be applauded. It highlighted the great export growth our regional economy might anticipate on the back of our export surge of + 8.1% a year by 2017, compared to 0.3% for the country as a whole, and 2.3% for Germany.
As Sara Fowler, senior partner, E&Y notes, "the region's goods exporters have invested in competing at the niche manufacturing end of automotive and engineering sectors and this is now paying dividends."
Simon Walker, Director General, IoD, speaking in Birmingham recently, stressed his support for promoting the Midlands strengths in designing and making products sold around the world and the Birmingham MadeMe Design Expo.
"We need a campaign to promote value of manufacturing heartlands and to ensure that we have the necessary skills and transport infrastructure to support this growth."
He was hugely impressed as Director General of the IoD in having the opportunity to get to meet so many innovative businessmen and women across the country and to see the inspiring work of British business.
"If it was just about cheerleading as Director General of the IoD it would be an easy job! Whilst there is some fantastic design work happening we need a great deal more. Birmingham has some great examples - Jaguar Land Rover, with car exports at a record high.
"WMG at Warwick University is educating 600 Jaguar Land Rover staff to degree level. Greater collaboration between industry and universities is essential to equip our workforce with the right skills. The IoD's single biggest priority to get more young people into industry.
"The Daily Mail ran an article a few months back looking at the final year class at Eton. Of these 2 had gone into the armed forces. All the rest had gone into the City, except one acting for banks. "We have got to change that or Britain's future will be incredibly limited. I keep stressing this to government along with the need to keep reinforcing the bonds between education and business," Simon Walker emphasised.
"Our country has not always had the best designed infrastructure. The developing world is powering ahead. For example, I have been discussing with the Brazilian Ambassador the potential for the country and for our IoD members .
"Half our members are exporting to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India China) countries and two thirds are exporting to the Middle East. How we get to these markets and get them to come to us matters. Skype and iPhone apps help, yes, but personal relations even more important with these countries. Two thirds of our members said last year in survey that direct flights are very important to them and they are very sympathetic for Birmingham to have more capacity.
"If we were designing a network we wouldn't design what we have now. We are designing around trade-offs and political sensitivities. The German Ambassador told me recently of a new motorway into Essen built just 8 years after it was proposed, even with necessary environmental consideration and protection for local frog populations.
"There is a broader national debate required - we have got to get more long haul flights into Birmingham. The Runway extension currently being built enables that. Beijing and Shanghai will be within reach.
"There are 10m within one hour's drive of Birmingham Airport. Bur of these, 3m passengers are using South East airports. Whilst competition is the best way of improving the range of air services available with good surface access, our ticketing infrastructure has fallen behind.
"Euston connectivity, combining air and rail tickets is needed, as this is par for the course in Germany and elsewhere. For example, at Cologne Airport you can connect into high speed trains ticketing. We need to get beyond siloed transport planning.
"There is also the difficulty of getting into this country. Our Visa situation is very challenging as it takes 12 weeks to process a visa to travel to the UK from Brazil. On welcoming a Brazilian delegation following a 15 hour flight, I found it took 2 hours 43 minutes queuing on arrival from Sao Paulo in London. However, in Sao Paulo the experience was of queuing for just 20 minutes to get through immigration there.
"Their government seems serious about Visa applications and immigration checks. However, our default attitude should by one of 'welcome' rather than 'suspicion'.
"The Home Secretary has been talking about Visa restrictions on Brazilians. Some very senior people running universities couldn't get visas to visit the UK. There are six times as many Brazilians visiting Germany. And there are eight times as many going to France from China as come to the UK: 28 million last year, 28 million this year and 28 million next year in China learning about Shakespeare.
"I think it's an absolute crying shame that it takes 3-4 days to get a Visa for China. We are doing ourselves a disservice. Politicians from all political parties are doing great disservice. It's time to show some leadership. Cost of UK Visas is too high. You can't apply for a UK visa from Yemen. You have to go to Cairo and get good word put in for you and show your bank account details. The UK Fruit Growers Association has called for Visas for Ukraine and Russian migrant workers. We are a great trading nation and that necessitates mobility and access.
"Other countries have abolished air passenger taxes. In Holland they raised Euro 300m revenue from this tax but found it was costing the wider economy Euros 1.4bn so they got rid of this tax. We in the IoD would not be surprised if the same applied in this country.
"There is a serious policy problem. Our planning systems are crippled by excess of democracy. Key decisions have to be made. It is the 60th anniversary of Heathrow being built and decisions need to be made about where we will find our next capacity.
"There is endless scope for localism. Policy solutions are required. For example, why not consider setting up a Commission looking at projects of national importance. It shouldn't be composed of people with a political future, but it could be composed of people with a political past who were given the power to make decisions of national interest within specific timescales providing them with the opportunity to think about the bigger picture for all parts of our country.
"Identity, quality of life, education - we need to engage local communities in spatial structure and vision. But we also need to be able to rise above local communities so they can't frustrate national advantage. If they need to share in the economic benefits that also seems a reasonable goal. Shale gas and fracking is an example. Communities should benefit from lower prices and rewards need to be shared too. But we simply can't string decision-making out forever with all the consequences that brings not only to local communities but to the nation."
* Beverley Nielsen is Director Employer Engagement, Birmingham City University
