Businesses across the North West are being given exclusive opportunities to break into the UK’s fast-growing defence sector, as RTC North continues to expand its impact across the region following the launch of its new Liverpool office earlier this year.

Building on the success of recent tendering workshops run in partnership with Growth Platform, which have already helped local companies work towards securing significant contracts, including one win worth £85,000, RTC North is now hosting two flagship events designed to help SMEs understand and access the defence supply chain.

The first event, Getting into Defence, takes place in Burnley on 24 September in partnership with BCW Group (Intl) Ltd. The workshop will guide manufacturers from across Burnley and Pendle through the practicalities of becoming “supplier ready” and navigating the unique challenges of the defence sector.

Attendees will also gain a rare behind-the-scenes tour of BCW’s award-winning facilities and hear directly from their team on how they successfully broke into defence and scaled their business.

The second event, How to Unlock Opportunities in the Defence Sector, will be held at Glass Futures in St Helens on 30 September, exclusively for SMEs within the Liverpool City Region.

With confirmed speakers including Cammell Laird, the North West Regional Defence and Security Cluster, Make UK Defence, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), and JOSCAR, this in-depth session offers SMEs direct access to some of the most influential organisations in the industry.

Businesses will leave with a roadmap for becoming tender-ready, insight into what prime contractors look for in suppliers, and practical guidance on navigating procurement and accreditation.

Both events are designed to connect ambitious SMEs with the major players driving the defence industry forward. With government spending on defence set to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, the demand for innovative suppliers, services, and technologies continues to grow, presenting significant opportunities for North West businesses.

Steve Wilkinson, Programme Manager at RTC North, said:

“We’re really proud to be building strong connections between local businesses and prime contractors, helping SMEs not only understand what it takes to succeed in the defence supply chain, but also giving them direct access to the people making the decisions.

“Our recent tendering programme in the Liverpool region has already delivered tangible wins for clients, and these upcoming events are the next step in strengthening the North West’s role in this multi-billion-pound sector.

We’re really grateful to the likes of Growth Platform and Burnley Council for working with us to deliver these crucial events for local SMEs.”

These events form part of RTC North’s ongoing mission to equip small and medium-sized enterprises with the tools, insight and networks they need to thrive in new and competitive markets. By strengthening local supply chains across the North, RTC North is helping businesses to develop, diversify and tap into new opportunities.