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What are DBT’s high-level strategic objectives?

A high level explainer

DBT currently has four high-level strategic objectives:

  • Make Work Pay
  • Trade Strategy
  • Industrial Strategy
  • Support for small businesses

Make Work Pay

This initiative aims to tackle insecurities in employment to reduce economic inactivity to get people into work, by creating jobs that provide security, treat workers fairly, and pay a decent wage. This includes:

Employment Rights Bill: give employees basic rights from day one, end fire and rehire, and ban exploitative zero-hours contracts

Industrial Strategy

This initiative aims to take advantage of the UK’s unique business strengths to achieve economic growth. It aims to provide stability to businesses by providing a long-term plan for investment and creating a pro-business environment, by focusing on eight growth-driven sectors: Advanced Manufacturing, Clean Energy Industries, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital and Technologies, Financial Services, Life Sciences, and Professional and Business Services.

Trade Strategy

Britain’s trade policy aims to identify overseas opportunities and build on existing relationships, address barriers to trade and secure essential supply chains. (More detail to follow in December.)

Support for small businesses

This includes a range of initiatives to help small businesses prosper and grow. This has included:

Action on late payments to make sure businesses get paid on time, including mandatory reporting of rates of payments within a 30-day payment time.

Action to revitalize our high streets, by giving councils the right to rent long-neglected town centre commercial properties

Launching free business management course for small businesses

How does content relate to high-level strategic objectives?

Content has different goals depending on the content type. Content on gov.uk informs the user about government, or allows the user to complete a transaction with government. Good content helps DBT to achieve its high-level strategic objectives by giving citizens the information they need or allowing them to complete tasks to achieve their goals.

Content types that inform the user about government policy and government structure help citizens to understand what government is doing and how government works. It is important citizens know about policies that affect them. Businesses need to know about changes to legislation which affect how they run their businesses. They need to know about support offered by the government so they can take advantage of this support. Knowing about wider issues such as trade strategy may impact the decisions they take.

As well as understanding government policy, businesses may need to complete transactions with government. In a business context, they may need to apply for an export licence to make sure they comply with regulations, find sources of funding, or support employees.

Good content effectively informs citizens about what they need to know to make informed decisions. Ideally, content provides a stress-free user experience which allows them to complete their tasks in a timely manner. This allows them more time to concentrate on their businesses.

The consequences of bad content can be very serious. If the language in content is not clear, or users cannot find the appropriate content, it can mean they do not find the information they need. They may spend money on expensive external sources, or may fail to comply with regulations. It is not only frustrating for businesses to be unable to complete a task with government; it may have very serious consequences, such as facing a fine for failing to comply with regulations.

Examples of how content relates to high-level strategic objectives:

Make Work Pay

When the Employment Rights Bill was introduced, businesses need to know about the changes to legislation. Content such as this news story What does the Employment Rights Bill mean for you? informed businesses about this change. They learnt they must offer paternity leave from day one. This contributes to the department’s high-level strategic objective of making work fair for everyone.

Industrial Strategy

The government is currently developing its industrial stategy, which is due to be published in Spring 2025. Content such as this consultation Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy - GOV.UK invites businesses and other experts to share their views about how challenges in this area may be addressed. This knowledge contributes to more effective policy-making, contributing to the department’s high-level objective of an industrial strategy which promotes economic growth.

Trade Strategy

Use this

Support Small Businesses

Small businesses can experience serious problems when their invoices are not paid on time. The government has implemented a range of measures to support them through this process. For these to be effective, businssess need to know what to do about them. Content like this FAQ page advises small businesses what to do in these scenarios, supporting the government’s high-level objective of supporting small businesses.

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Resources to support SMEs to export to New Zealand (guidance), Export Promotion, 1
Resources to support SMEs to export to New Zealand (guidance), Bi-lateral agreements, 1

Export Promotion, Trade Strategy, 1 

Bi-lateral agreements, Trade Strategy, 1 

Small Business Commissioner FAQs (guidance), Support for small businesses, 1
Resources to support SMEs to export to New Zealand (guidance), Support for small businesses, 1

Export support for UK businesses (guidance), Support for small businesses, 1
Export support for UK businesses (guidance),Export Promotion,1

Invest 2035 (consultation), Industrial Strategy, 1 
Employment Rights Bill (consultation), Make Work Pay, 1