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'Building on our city’s nautical heritage with an eye on the future'

The UK Government is on a mission to ‘level up’ the UK, with millions of pounds being invested right here in Belfast to bring jobs and opportunities.

 

The city will see more than £9 million of funding devoted to education, employment and technology under the wide-ranging plans to ensure we all can live longer, more fulfilling lives and benefit from better living standards.

The Levelling Up cash boosts aim to transform the UK by spreading prospects and prosperity to every corner as part of the ambitious proposals to close its long-standing geographical gaps by 2030.

Here in Belfast, people will also benefit from the UK Government’s contributions to the City Deal, which is worth an overall £1bn.

Celebrating the city’s past

More than 1,000 maritime jobs will be created, thanks to a £33 million investment from the Strength in Places Fund (SIPF), a UK Research and Innovation programme that helps areas build on existing strengths in research and innovation to create tangible benefits for the local economy.

The investment builds on Belfast’s maritime heritage and world-leading expertise in advanced manufacturing and renewable energy with the aim of developing zero emissions hydrofoil ferries as part of a marine transport system of the future.

David Tyler, commercial director and co-founder of Artemis Technologies

David Tyler, commercial director and co-founder of Artemis Technologies, a lead partner of the Belfast Maritime Consortium, welcomed the opportunity to breathe new life into the city’s ship-building past.

“The support we and the wider Belfast Maritime Consortium have received from the Strength in Places Fund is a major boost to Levelling Up this region and is already resulting in significant new training and employment opportunities both directly and throughout our supply chain,” he says.

“We made the decision to establish ourselves in Belfast because of the incredible expertise available within the manufacturing, composites, maritime and aerospace sectors operating locally.

“Government support has allowed us to seize the opportunity to ensure that this part of the UK attracts and retains the most talented minds as we reinvigorate Belfast’s rich shipbuilding heritage, building a new advanced manufacturing cluster that delivers tangible economic and environmental benefits for the region as a whole.”

New homes will be fitted with more environmentally friendly technologies

Training for greener jobs

A partnership between Belfast City Council, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Belfast Metropolitan College will enable new homes to be fitted with more environmentally friendly technologies, while training people for future jobs to support the transition away from fossil fuels.

These greener jobs form part of the Levelling Up pledge to see hundreds of thousands more people completing high quality skills training every year.

More than 1,000 maritime jobs will be created

Developing new skills

Investment in a new virtual production studio in Belfast Harbour will see the creation of 210 new jobs. The creative industries are already a major success story for the city, and that story is set to continue long after Game of Thrones.

These innovative facilities, the first of their kind in Northern Ireland, will enable local people to develop new skills in virtual production from film, broadcast and animation to games and immersive, creating employment opportunities for years to come.

Unlocking £1bn investment

The Belfast Region City Deal sees a commitment to create more highly skilled and better paid jobs in the city, particularly for the most deprived communities.

Unlocking £1 billion of co-investment will deliver more than 20 highly ambitious projects and programmes, create up to 20,000 job opportunities and help make the region a global investment destination.

Giving everyone the chance to thrive

The UK is a fantastic success story in so many ways – but not everyone shares equally in that success. This is why the UK Government has launched its Levelling Up plans to transform our country and give everyone the chance to thrive.

It sets bold targets to change the way government operates, improve public services and empower local leaders and communities to narrow the UK's geographical divides by 2030.

Radical new policies will form the heart of the government’s agenda for the rest of the decade, including:

  • Narrowing the huge inequalities in healthy life expectancy by 2030 then, by 2035, seeing that life expectancy increased by five years
  • Improving public transport with more, faster trains and better links for the UK’s more remote areas
  • Faster broadband for everyone – with most of us able to access 5G coverage by 2030
  • Making sure our homes are fit for the 21st century.

Other plans aim to restore a sense of local community and belonging where they have been lost by investing in our high streets and town centres.

And there is a focus on growing the private sector to increase productivity and bring better, more well-paid jobs to the parts of the UK that need them most.

So what will Levelling Up mean for you?

Where people live unfairly affects their chances of getting on in life – but what will Levelling Up mean for you?

The proposals will see a whopping £4.8 billion invested in regeneration projects across the UK, with cash being injected into transport, education, broadband and much more.

The plans focus on the success of the whole country: realising the potential of every place and every person across the UK by building on their unique strengths and spreading opportunities for individuals and businesses.

Depending where you are in the UK, Levelling Up will mean different things. In one place, it may mean more affordable or social housing while in another area, it might mean it’s easier to access funding to boost your company, a high street to be proud of, or more green space for families to enjoy.