• Campaign highlights the overseas renewable energy opportunities UK businesses can take advantage of
• UKEF supports businesses to deliver vital exports in sectors like offshore wind, solar and hydrogen, with a pipeline of export opportunities for UK suppliers
• UKEF helps businesses transitioning to or exporting renewable goods to win, fulfil and get paid for contracts abroad

UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, has today launched a call to action to businesses across the country to take advantage of renewable export opportunities around the world in the race to net zero.

Launched at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, UKEF is highlighting the global reach of ‘Made in Britain’ excellence and the scope for businesses to take the lead on driving a more sustainable future.

Green trade is set to be worth £1.8 trillion by 2030, delivering up to £170 billion of export sales in goods and services for the UK by 2030. UKEF has enormous liquidity for UK businesses to tap into and take advantage of green trade, with a £50 billion capacity to support UK exports.

In recent years, UKEF’s support has helped UK businesses to win export contracts in over 80 countries, including Spain, Taiwan, Dubai and Ghana, developing wind farms, solar-powered clean drinking water and sustainable transport. In turn, this is estimated to have helped support 64,000 jobs each year since 2018.

The campaign emphasises the work of Lancaster-based wind farm supplier First Subsea; offshore engineering company Offshore Design Engineering (ODE) Group; and clean water provider Aqua Africa, all of whom have used UKEF’s support to win millions of pounds of overseas sustainable contracts.

Clean and green exports currently make up at least 50% of UKEF’s multi-billion pound business development pipeline of potential deals it may be able to support in the future and UKEF is seeking to connect UK suppliers with these international projects.

UKEF is highlighting these opportunities this week at COP26 in the UK Pavilion alongside other international Export Credit Agencies, outlining the need for greater international cooperation to finance green projects.

International Trade Secretary and UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, says:

As the world becomes greener, there are huge opportunities for businesses across the UK to be at the forefront of a sustainable future.

UK Export Finance has the tools exporters need to tap into green markets across the world with over £2 billion of lending dedicated to financing clean growth and huge capacity to support SMEs.

The UK can be very proud of our expertise and quality, which are in demand around the globe. UKEF is here to provide the financial support our exporters need to grow and spur an international green industrial revolution.

John Shaw, Managing Director, First Subsea Ltd. said:

We thought renewables was an up-and-coming industry, and were very excited about the wind farms around the coast of the North West. We then realised it was a global marketplace, but quickly understood that the commercial proposition was very different to oil and gas. That meant we had much more of a challenge to overcome in terms of financing, bonds and payment terms.

Our bank and UKEF worked very well together and delivered us a product very quickly, and we have potentially had a major game change in this business because of this funding, so I would encourage other businesses to take advantage.

To see the work Offshore Design Engineering, First Subsea and Aqua Africa are taking forward thanks to UKEF support, please see the videos below:

Offshore Design Engineering (ODE)

Offshore Design Engineering

First Subsea

First Subsea

Aqua Africa

Aqua Africa

About UK Export Finance

UK Export Finance is the UK’s export credit agency and a government department, working along-side the Department for International Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations.

Established in 1919, it exists to ensure that no viable UK export should fail for a lack of finance from the private market. It provides finance and insurance to help exporters win, fulfil and get paid for export contracts.

Contact

Every year many journalists and media workers get killed simply for covering the news and sharing information with a wider audience.

Today, on the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, we pay tribute to all journalists and media workers who have been targets of intimidation, violence or arbitrary detention have even been killed in the course of exercising their profession.

A free media is the bedrock of democracy and human rights. Access to reliable and independent information is paramount, as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Journalists, who play an indispensable role in this, are under pressure around the world, with governments at times attempting to silence journalists who scrutinize their actions too closely. Journalists may be the victims of threats, physical and verbal violence, lawsuits, arbitrary detention and even forced disappearances or murder.

Female journalists are disproportionately targeted by online harassment, threats, sexist hate speech and trolling. Many female journalists face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and gender-based violence because of other characteristics, including sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity or gender identity. This can lead to self-censorship, where women choose to withdraw from the public sphere. This undermines media pluralism and democracy as a whole.

On average, in almost 90% of the cases of killings of journalists the perpetrators have gone unpunished. This climate of impunity perpetuates the cycle of violence against journalists and the media. A threat against one journalist has the disturbing effect of silencing many others. The members of the Media Freedom Coalition are concerned that impunity damages societies by creating an environment ripe for human rights abuses, abuses of power and corruption, and crime, which ultimately shred the fabric of democracies.

We wholeheartedly congratulate Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov on being awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. It underscores the importance of independent journalism.

We need journalists to report the facts, keep us informed and hold those in power accountable. If violence against journalists triumphs, media cannot be free and democracy cannot function.

Signed:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belize, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States.

• “Made With Care” recruitment campaign launches across broadcast and social media today to encourage people into a career in care
• Opportunity to be part of biggest reform of adult social care in a generation
• Record funding invested to support new social care sector including for staff training and development

People across England will be encouraged to pursue a rewarding career in adult social care during the biggest period of change in a generation, following the launch of a new recruitment campaign today (Wednesday 3 November).

The ‘Made with Care’ recruitment campaign will run across, broadcast and social media for five months encouraging people with the values that embody carers to join a workforce dedicated to helping others and build a career that helps people live happy, healthy lives.

With almost half-a-million extra job opportunities in adult social care expected by 2035 and more than 105,000 vacancies needing to be filled the ‘Made with Care’ campaign aims to encourage people to apply for exciting and rewarding roles across the country.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said:

Care workers have done a phenomenal job throughout the pandemic, in difficult circumstances, and I thank them for all they have done.

A career in social care is rewarding and inspiring. Over the next three years we are investing at least £500 million to support the training and development for carers.

We need more people who possess the core values this workforce embody so strongly – kindness, compassion and resilience – to look after our friends and family with dignity and respect.

The launch of the new recruitment campaign follows the announcement of £5.4 billion of additional funding to reform social care over the next three years, including £500 million to support training and career development for the workforce.

Minister for Care Gillian Keegan said:

I am dedicated to making working in social care not just emotionally rewarding but a career opportunity with future development for people.

The care workers represented in our ‘Made with Care’ recruitment campaign are passionate about working in the sector – and the impact they have on those they care for has really moved me. I strongly encourage people to apply for these great opportunities.

We are investing record amounts into social care making this is an exciting time to join the workforce and play an important role in helping to develop a world-leading social care system as we bring forward our plans for reform later this year.

The TV advert shows real care workers making a difference in people’s lives, inspiring others to consider a career in care. It will premiere on 3 November and run until 21 November on ITV, Sky and Channel 4.

‘Made with Care’ builds on the momentum of the previous phase of the campaign launched in February 2021. It celebrated the huge impact that adult social care workers have made during the pandemic and addressed the key barriers stopping people from considering it as a career option.

Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Deborah Sturdy said:

I have spent my career working to support others and want to ensure working in care is not just seen as a job but a career opportunity.

You will meet and work with wonderful people and have the chance to make this is a career you want to stay in for the long term.

There is the chance to be part of something very special and help both yourselves and others continue to develop a system made with care.

The campaign will run from November 2021 to March 2022 and will highlight vacancies in the sector as well as showcasing the amazing work care workers do, celebrating the way they empower the people they care for, and shining a light on the emotional reward of the role. It will also tackle perceived barriers to taking up care work, emphasising the importance of personal qualities over qualifications, the opportunities for training to develop a career in adult social care, and the availability of flexible working.

The recruitment campaign is launched as the government today (Wednesday 3 November) has published its Winter Plan for social care, setting out how we will support the sector over the coming months. The plan is backed by over £550 million including £162.5 million to support the recruitment of new staff and retention of existing carers.

Ross Penfold, Team Leader at a domiciliary care and supported living agency said:

The best moment is when you can move someone back from care to their own home. It’s not an easy journey but it’s absolutely worth all the effort, especially when clients return to visit you and you see the smile on their faces.

I’d recommend anyone looking for a huge sense of reward and fulfilment to consider a career in care.

Roles in adult social care can be flexible, varied and rewarding, and could offer those who have the values and attributes needed to be a care worker the opportunity to start a new career.

For more information on the campaign and how to apply for a job in care visit www.adultsocialcare.co.uk.

Marketing materials can be found here