Ford boss calls for climate move from government
Roger Putnam, Chairman of Ford Britain, calls for long-term thinking from British and European governments on regulation and climate change, to support an increase in R and D expenditure.
At the first Bosch Industry Forum, Roger Putnam, Chairman of Ford Britain, called for long-term thinking from British and European governments on regulation and climate change, to support an increase in R and D expenditure from industry.
Hailing the automotive business as a "cauldron of innovation", he targeted over-regulation and a lack of science and engineering graduates as the biggest threats to growth in the UK and Europe.
Britain had a particular image problem with industry, and industry faced a quality problem with education, he said.
A "firm purpose and direction" was needed to "accelerate the educational performance of our young people".
He added that alongside government, business had a vital role to play.
Last year Britain produced 3000 physics graduates and 15,000 psychologists, an imbalance that Putnam believed helped explain Britain's poor productivity record.
He said the emphasis must be not simply on attracting more young people, but the best young people into science and technology careers, otherwise Britain would fail to keep up with its competitors.
He admitted there was no "magic bullet".
It was up to business to work with government to raise investment and enthusiasm in young people.
He said Ford Motor "runs a whole range of education and business partnership programmes" for schools, for employees and for the supplier base.
On the environmental challenges, he called for consistent policies from governments to allow companies to invest in long-term innovation.
Business and political time frames were completely different, but it was politicians who needed to adapt and take a strong lead.
"The innovation can flourish with both direction and purpose and encourage real growth," he said.
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