Showing posts with label knowledge economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knowledge economy. Show all posts

Thursday 20 February 2014

Warrington's World Class Industry


Warrington's nuclear industry is world-class.

You can measure by expertise, key projects delivered, innovations produced, finances and demand.  When the Japanese Fukushima Nuclear plant disaster hit in 2011 Warrington firms were called.

The nuclear jobs market (with salaries typically at £35K plus for technical roles) indications the health of the sector. This industry has been built up through decades of research, training and project experience. However the success of the industry is not just about nuclear applications; the broader supply chain is also critical.

The Warrington area also has chemicals, petrochemicals, biotechnology, automotive and high tech manufacturing elements. These industries all need engineering, logistics, project management, process control, metrology, scientific research and many other specialist shared skills and expertise.

The supply chains of these clusters support each other and so when one declines the others can feel the impact. Nearby AstraZeneca and Hewlett-Packard (Birchwood) job losses mean a migration of expertise from the area, if employees cannot find jobs quickly locally. Success breeds success.

Warrington is part of the 'knowledge economy' and keeping the knowledge here is critical. So what can be done to make Warrington more attractive to investors?


Professor Lawrence Bellamy is Associate Dean at the Warrington School of Management, University of Chester Warrington (Padgate) Campus.




STOP PRESS:

The Warrington School of Management is launching an exciting new business service that will include events and ‘Master Classes’ to help small and medium sized businesses grow. If you are interested in registering for more information, or would like to come to our launch event on Wednesday 26th March please send your details to Beth Morris at ignite@chester.ac.uk