BAE: ‘We train more skilled engineers in the UK than any other company... We’ve always hired and trained the very best of UK talent’
There is a skills shortage in many areas of UK science and technology. But arms production enjoys extensive government support. In 2005, around £2,600m of government R&D money went to the military sector while just £37m went to renewable energy. A recent government report estimated that the number of jobs in the renewable energy sector could, given supportive enough policies, expand from 8,000 in 2004 to as many as 35,000 by 2020. In contrast to arms companies, this work would be a contribution to global welfare and security.