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Skilled Workers: West Yorkshire

Asked by Imran HussainLabourDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 23 February 2026UIN 112669

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of high-skilled jobs in sectors reliant on research and innovation in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

Answered by Blair McDougall

Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and create a highly skilled, economically prosperous country. Its key objectives are to drive up business investment and create high-quality jobs across the UK.

We are directing £9 billion in research and innovation funding to Industrial Strategy sectors, with £4.5 billion directed towards innovative businesses. Additionally, the West of Yorkshire Combined Authority will benefit from targeted interventions, including: at least £30 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding, a strategic partnership with the National Wealth Fund and dedicated support from a British Business Bank Cluster Champion. Together, interventions like this are helping create the conditions to attract investment, support innovation and unlock opportunities for high-quality, high-skilled jobs.

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