Executive Summary - Specific Asset SWOT
Strengths*
- Automotive and Advanced engineering –JLR, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Aurrigo, Geely
- Visitor and cultural sector –RSC, NEC, Royal Ballet and Symphony Hall, Birmingham Airport
- BPFS sector and resilience –Large international companies, Deloitte, KPMG, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, PWC, NFU and Deutsche Bank
- Major Brands -Mondelez, HSBC, National Express and Jaguar, Wesleyan Assurance Society and GowlingWLG, EON, Severn Trent, Balfour Beatty, KEIR
- Largest University sector outside London -Aston University; Birmingham City University; Newman University College, University College Birmingham; University of Birmingham, Wolverhampton University, Warwick University and Coventry University
- Strong construction sector and portfolio of projects -HS2, Metrolink, light rail, university station
Weaknesses
- High unemployment and youth unemployment
- Unhealthy communities
- Weak jobs growth
- Longer term survival rates of businesses
- Significantly deprived areas and inequalities
- Low usage of renewable energy
- Numbers of residents with low qualifications
- Higher unemployment
- Supply chain vulnerability and international markets
Threats*
- International transport impact on Commonwealth Games, Capital of Culture and tourism assets such as Stratford.
- Economic crash globally and impact on FDI
- Social distancing and drop in consumer demand
- Large scale unemployment -Announcements already for JLR, DHL, Rolls Royce, John Lewis
- Long term scarring effects on young people
- Apprenticeship availability due to employer instability
- Trade deals and investment as a major exporting region, wider negative impacts on international travel, education and tourism
- Business investment and cash flow disrupted
- R&D and innovation investment curtailed especially in automotive
- Digital skills and infrastructure inequalities
- Reduced take up and usage of public transport
Opportunities
- HS2 and UK Central
- Commonwealth Games
- City of Culture
- 5G testbed
- Devolved Adult Education Budget
- Brownfield Land Programme
- Housing Programme
- Driverless cars testbed
- Silicon Spa
- Life Sciences Park
- Warwick Manufacturing Group and the Manufacturing Technology Centre
- Local supply chain development
* The companies listed are intended as examples only, representative of the breadth of the business base