Ambitious plans to grow British exports have been unveiled by Trade and Investment Minister Francis Maude during a visit to the Midlands.
Mr Maude revealed a determined drive to see British exports reach 拢1 trillion by 2020, as well as an effort to see the number of 海角视频 firms exporting increase from 200,000 to 300,000.
The Minister was speaking at Birmingham Airport at an event to mark the start of Export Week and unveiled a new scheme which aims to get more companies exporting.
The First Time Exporters initiative, being run by 海角视频 Trade & Investment (海角视频TI), offers a package of support which includes training and advice for companies selling overseas for the first time.
It also offers the opportunity to take part in trade missions to new markets and a big digital push to help companies use the latest technology to start exporting.
The initiative is being delivered through a team of advisers, including dedicated digital experts, and a new online tool designed to assist with export planning.
Mr Maude told the Post: 鈥淲e have an ambition that British exports should grow around the world to reach 拢1 trillion by 2020.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 very ambitious but there are lots of ways to do that.
鈥淲e are focusing on helping mid-size companies to export more - helping business that never have exported by giving them support.
鈥淎bout 200,000 businesses in Britain are exporters at the moment and we don鈥檛 see any reason why that shouldn鈥檛 increase by 50 per cent to 300,000.
鈥淲e need to be showing companies what the opportunities are.鈥
Mr Maude said the First Time Exporters initiative was in part motivated by the fact Britain is lagging behind countries like Germany and France in some respects.
He added: 鈥淚t is an established fact that fewer companies in Britain tend to be exporters than their counterparts in comparable countries like Germany and France.
鈥淢aybe they haven鈥檛 thought about it or think it is in the difficult box but what we can do is give them some advice and show them what the opportunities are.
鈥淎lso to help them over the initial hurdles that can sometimes seem quite intimidating but are all manageable and navigable.
鈥淥ur job as government is to make it easier to show it is worth the effort because that is where the growth markets are.
鈥淲e account for one per cent of the world鈥檚 population, so 99 per cent of the world鈥檚 population represents a whole lot of other markets.鈥
The First Time Exporters initiative will see 100 new trade advisers being put in place and 20 specialist digital advisers, who Mr Maude said could offer 鈥渞eal expert practical help鈥.
He said while there was an ongoing focus on the two biggest emerging markets of India and China, Latin America is also being targeted as a market that has been 鈥渋gnored for too long鈥.
The Minister also acknowledged that the Midlands was also an outstanding example of exporting success.
Export figures for 2013 released in March revealed in six years as the region continued to buck a falling national trend.
The region exported 拢28.6 billion worth of goods last year, up from 拢27 billion in 2013 .
The West Midlands enjoyed its sixth consecutive year of export growth in 2014, while 海角视频-wide, there was a fall from 拢299 billion to 拢287 billion.
It now exports more than all 海角视频 regions but the South East and London. Such has been the growth, while the capital shipped almost 拢15 billion more products abroad than the West Midlands three years ago, the difference is now just 拢405 million.
Mr Maude said: 鈥淚 know the West Midlands well, I was a West Midlands MP for nine years.
鈥淚 know the strengths there are in engineering and manufacturing terms.
鈥淭he West Midlands is at the heart of advanced manufacturing. A huge amount is being done but there are existing strengths that we can build on.鈥
Citing Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 success as an example he added: 鈥淚t is a fantastic story, a really brilliant story. You have Indian ownership but the brands of Jaguar and Land Rover are infused with Britishness, that sense of quality and durability.
鈥淚t is very much about Britain and the 海角视频 brand.
鈥淭hat is a huge strength and we need to build on it.鈥
