Simon Jupp welcomes Prime Minister to Supacat’s Dunkeswell HQ to discuss plans to boost apprenticeships

Simon Jupp, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Honiton and Sidmouth, welcomed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Supacat in Dunkeswell on Wednesday May 29th to discuss new plans to deliver 100,000 more apprenticeships per year by the end of the next Parliament.

Since the Conservatives came into office in 2010, 70% of occupations are now covered by apprenticeships and almost 5.8 million apprenticeships have been delivered, helping more young people into higher education and employment.

Touring the defence company’s headquarters at Dunkeswell Aerodrome alongside Supacat’s Chief Executive, Nick Ames, and Simon Jupp, the Prime Minister discussed the major policy announcement which will be funded by closing low-value degrees offered by universities.

Supacat, which is already expanding its Dunkeswell site and creating new jobs, offers an impressive range of apprenticeships, including in engineering, business operations and business management. The Prime Minister and Honiton and Sidmouth’s Conservative candidate met some of Supacat’s apprentices during the visit. 

The defence company’s apprenticeship offer was recently extended after they undertook a £75 million Ministry of Defence contract to deliver 70 top-of-the-range military vehicles – Jackal 3s – for the British Army. Other versions of the vehicle are also being used in Ukraine for the country’s defence against Russian state aggression.

The Conservative Party has made its strong record on defence a key part of its election campaign, headlined by its fully funded plan to grow the defence budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Whilst touring Supacat's headquarters, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Simon Jupp for his record of championing the region’s contribution to national defence.

This includes in his most recent role as Chair of the Great South West All-Party Parliamentary Group, a group of MPs and Lords in Parliament from the region which is ranked highest for defence spending on a per head basis.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said; “It was a pleasure to join Simon Jupp, Honiton and Sidmouth’s fantastic Conservative candidate at Supacat in Dunkeswell to meet the company’s hardworking apprentices and talk about our plan to expand apprenticeship places across the country. Devon is a vital hub for the UK's defence industry and Simon has a great record of championing the area in Parliament and delivering for local people. As part of the Conservative's clear plan for the country, he has helped to secure Cullompton’s new railway station, a new school to replace flood-prone Tipton St John Primary and up to £30 million from South West Water to upgrade Sidmouth’s water infrastructure. I know Simon will continue to build on that success and help secure a brighter future with more opportunities for everyone.”

Simon Jupp, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Honiton & Sidmouth, said; “It was great to welcome the Prime Minister to Dunkeswell to discuss our plan to deliver thousands of new apprenticeships per year. By closing down university courses which don’t give young people the skills they need to succeed, we can create more specialist apprenticeships like those offered by Supacat, where their apprentices are building military vehicles for our defence. I’ll always stand up for local defence jobs and brilliant local businesses like Supacat who play a big role in our nation’s security. In a world of increasing threats, only the Conservatives have a bold plan to deliver a brighter, more secure future for the country and our part of Devon.”

Nick Ames, Chief Executive of Supacat, said; “It was an enormous privilege to welcome the Prime Minister to our headquarters in Dunkeswell. Supacat takes great pride in its work, hiring locally to supply top-of-the-range defence equipment to protect the UK and its allies. Simon Jupp has been a fantastic advocate for Supacat, and his work in championing the South West’s role in national defence has been very important. Since the apprenticeship scheme was launched in 2017, we have developed 31 apprentices, the majority of which are still in the business today. Today we have 9 apprentices and have plans for a further 6 to join us very shortly. This is an exciting time for the business, and we look forward to using our highly skilled staff to continue to grow and develop the company product portfolio from our base here in East Devon.”