East of England鈥檚 contribution to the UK鈥檚 financial services industry hailed by Economic Secretary
Harriett Baldwin visits Norwich to see first-hand the contribution the region鈥檚 successful financial services sector makes to the UK economy.
During the visit, the Economic Secretary will meet with key firms in the region as part of her ongoing programme to champion Britain鈥檚 financial services outside of London.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said:
A key part of our long term plan is to support a competitive financial services sector both in London and throughout Britain.
So it is great to visit Norwich to see first-hand how Britain鈥檚 financial services sector is thriving outside of London. Norwich鈥檚 financial services industry makes a key contribution to the local economy, supporting thousands of jobs in the local area.
While in Norwich the City Minister will visit the offices of insurance firm Aviva, who employ around 5,000 people in the local area.
As part of her visit the Economic Secretary will meet with Aviva鈥檚 apprentices and hear about Aviva鈥檚 successful apprenticeship programme, which is attracting talented new people into their business. Schemes like this are a key part of the government鈥檚 long term plan to boost investment in skills, and will help deliver the government鈥檚 target of 3 million new apprenticeships over the next 5 years.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said:
I am delighted to see more firms like Aviva taking on apprentices. This is hugely important to help attract new talent to the sector and to increase investment in skills in the local area.
A skilled workforce is a key driver of a strong economy, and I am pleased to see Aviva is playing their part in helping to achieve the government鈥檚 target of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020. I hope to see a growing number of apprenticeships in the financial services sector.
The Economic Secretary will then visit the offices of Barclays bank in Norwich, who will be hosting Future50, a programme set up to provide advice and networking opportunities to the region鈥檚 most innovative companies. Barclays supports over 2,880 businesses in the East of England across a variety of sectors and has 8 offices in the region, supported by a network of Barclays branches.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury Harriett Baldwin said:
It is fantastic to see the work that Barclays is doing here in Norwich to support local businesses through the Future50 programme. Ensuring businesses can build closer relationships with each other as well as with banks is a crucial part of helping small businesses to grow.
I was particularly pleased to visit Barclays during FinTech week to see the innovative ways they are using technology to drive their business forward. Ensuring the East of England is home to companies that are using technology to get ahead is vital for the competitiveness of the region as a whole.