Manufacturing is the beating heart of the UK economy. The sector employs millions nationwide and accounts for almost half of our exports. A big contributor to that is Nissan, it was fantastic to pop down to Sunderland and pay them a visit.
When the factory opened there in 1986, it employed 490 people and built 5,000 cars in its first year. From there, it has gone from strength to strength. These days, over 6,000 people work there, where they have just produced their 11 millionth car.
Taking a look around the state-of-the art facility, it really is a Great British success story. It is a fantastic local employer, with starting salaries c£30k a year and real opportunities for advancement. The focus on upskilling the local workforce is inspiring and would like to see more follow its example. Something must be going right if everyone from Prime Ministers to The King paying it a visit.
I am ambitious for the North East. With others like Jaguar Landrover and BMW now making multi-billion pound investments into UK manufacturing, I want to see more companies follow Nissan’s fantastic example.