The universities in South West England work closely with companies such as BAE Systems, Airbus, Honda and other world leaders in engineering, across three principal sub-sectors.
Aerospace: Largely clustered around Bristol, aerospace is the largest sub-sector in employment terms, accounting for almost a third of all employment positions in the advanced engineering sector. 9 out of the 12 largest aerospace companies in the UK have major facilities here. They, in turn, are supported by upwards of 700 supply chain companies.
Automotive: With a large concentration of employment in the Swindon area, the automotive sector is made up of a large proportion of vehicle part and sub-assemblies, supplying companies across the rest of the UK and Europe.
Measuring & Bio-medical Devices: The region has particular strengths in healthcare products and research and development. There are concentrations of employment in this sub-sector across the region, notably in Gloucestershire.
Follow the links to read more about university centres of expertise, success stories of university and business collaboration in the advanced engineering sector and the aerospace sector plan.
West of England Aerospace Forum
South West Manufacturing Advisory Service
Engineering Employers Federation
The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies