UK spending review: future career opportunities at UEL

Choosing the right undergraduate degree matters. The best-informed students know which subjects are linked to fast-growing job markets and the strongest career returns.  

By tracking where the UK Government is directing record levels of funding, this guide pinpoints four priority sectors:  

1. Defence and Advanced Manufacturing
2. Healthcare
3. Science and Technology
4. Transport and Infrastructure

Find out how a University of East London degree can link you to high-growth careers and a solid return on investment.

Defence and Advanced Manufacturing

The UK Government’s latest Spending Review puts undergraduate routes into Defence and Advanced Manufacturing at the centre of its growth plan. With global tensions rising and rapid tech change reshaping defence needs, this industry is expected to be one of the fastest-growing UK job markets over the next decade.

The Chancellor confirmed defence spending will rise to 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2027, releasing billions in new funding. This includes:

• Investment in new submarine and ship-building programmes
• Creation of next-generation drone technologies
• A significant boost to UK munitions production, with new factories across the country
• Development of advanced materials and resilient supply chains for key defence and aerospace systems

Government-funded manufacturing hubs are also partnering with universities such as the University of East London to drive innovation. Graduates who mix engineering, digital and manufacturing skills will be in high demand.

We have several degrees with employment prospects in the industry, including:

• BSc (Hons) Cyber Security and Networks
• BEng (Hons) Aeronautical Engineering
• BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

Healthcare and the NHS

The Spending Review delivers a major uplift to healthcare, focusing on technology, prevention and primary care. An extra £29 billion for NHS day-to-day services translates to a 3 % real-terms rise each year for the next three years. That makes health one of the biggest growth areas for graduate jobs.

Key funding commitments:

• A £10 billion upgrade to NHS technology and digital records, plus better patient access through apps
• Expansion of community and primary care (“care closer to home”), with funding for pharmacies and integrated services
• A £600 million Health Data Research Service in Cambridge and £520 million for life-sciences manufacturing to boost resilience

This investment creates strong demand for graduates in digital health, data science, community care, pharmaceuticals and life-sciences manufacturing.  

Relevant UEL degrees include:

• BSc (Hons) Nursing
• BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy
• BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy
• BSc (Hons) Podiatry
• BSc (Hons) Public Health
• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science

Science, Technology and Research and Development (R&D)

The Spending Review commits £86 billion to R&D over four years, firmly placing science and technology at the heart of the growth strategy and opening thousands of high-skill STEM jobs.

Highlights:

• A £2 billion AI Action Plan to scale AI use in the public sector and NHS, plus £750 million for a new exascale supercomputer
• Dedicated life-sciences funds to speed drug discovery, with hubs in Liverpool, Manchester and Cambridge
• Support for long-life battery research and clean-energy innovation
• Up to £500 million per region for local science-tech hubs, plus at least £30 million for each mayoral region

This surge benefits future AI engineers, data scientists, biotech specialists and clean-tech innovators, making STEM degrees a smart choice.

UEL undergraduate degrees that lead into these careers:

• BSc (Hons) Chemistry
• BSc (Hons) Biochemistry and Biotechnology
• BSc (Hons) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
• BSc (Hons) Pharmaceutical Science
• BSc (Hons) Pharmacology

Transport and Infrastructure

The 2025 Spending Review allocates £15.6 billion to regional transport upgrades while the Department for Transport’s capital budget will reach £31.5 billion by 2028-29, rising almost 4% a year in real terms.

Main investments:

• £3.5 billion for the Transpennine Route Upgrade and £2.5 billion for East-West Rail, with extra funds for the Midlands Rail Hub and Welsh rail enhancements
• Mass-transit and metro extensions across Tyne & Wear, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Birmingham, Stockport, Rochdale, Merseyside and Middlesbrough
• £2.6 billion for greener buses, cycling networks and sustainable transport projects
• A four-year funding guarantee for Transport for London to support long-term planning

These projects create opportunities in civil engineering, project management, sustainable transport planning, data analytics and environmental engineering. Graduates entering this sector will help build the next generation of UK connectivity.

UEL degrees to think about include:

BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering

FdSc Civil Engineering and Construction Management

BSc (Hons) Construction Management

BEng (Hons) Railway Engineering