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FROM THE CHAMBERS | 23 www.italchamind.eu and coaching actions necessary for their development.  By doing so, the NWAA, together with some of its leading members, can continue building the high-value capability and productivity levels that will ensure future competitiveness for the businesses. According to Dr David Bailey, Chief Executive of the NWAA, the challenges from the growing global competition are unrelenting. For this reason, he is delighted that so many aerospace businesses from the North West of England have decided “to collaborate to ensure we sustain and grow the capability of one of the world’s most important aerospace regions”.  Moreover, with the industry forecast to grow by 4.4% per year for the next 20 years, it is important for the NWAA to help its members to create and maintain a world class aerospace supply chain also through networking opportunities.  In this regard, from 16 th to 18 th January 2019, the Business Isle of Man Agency organised the first joint Aerospace Cluster Summit. The event’s programme, organised over two days, included the introduction of the Cluster, interactive workshop sessions and a tour around the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster with the aim to build B2B relationships and discover new capabilities in the supply chain.  This productive Summit has seen the participation of the members of the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster (IOMAC), the NWAA and the Enterprise Ireland Aerospace, with the intention of creating new opportunities for all, whilst strengthening their relations despite the uncertainty generated by Brexit. NWAA NEWTALENT AWARDS The NWAA aims to attract young professionals to encourage the creation of a re-skilled and experienced workforce and further leverage technology to provide new capacity and capabilities in this sector.  The New Talent Awards is organized annually to celebrate the achievements of talents working and studying in the North West aerospace & defence industry.  Nominations were accepted from 5 th September for the 2018 NW Best Aerospace and Defence Apprentice category, while the 2018 Business University Challenge team nominations opened on 5 th November 2018. In January 2019, every participant was invited for an interview with an independent judging panel at the NWAA office in Preston. Candidates presented a project to demonstrate the development of their engineering skills during the apprenticeship. For nearly two decades these competitions have been raising the profile of the aerospace sector, recognising the accomplishment made by new talents. All the winners were announced on 7 th March 2019 with an ever-growing number of participants and increasing interest from the aerospace companies. The prestigious awards ceremony took place at the Imperial War Museum North and represented an opportunity to introduce the current and future trends across the sector.  This edition saw employers, training providers and partners participating to the ceremony during which the finalists were awarded across different categories and the Business University Challenge Winners were announced. The event was a unique occasion for aerospace engineers, business leaders and new young professionals to share insights and to expand their network. As the number of candidates suggest, the New Talent Awards is increasing its success year by year as the event promises to highlight dedication and achievements of the future aerospace generation. · For further information about business opportunities in the aerospace sector in the North West, please contact the ICCIUK North West Branch manager, Dr Giulia Sirigu at manchester@italchamind.org.uk