David Cameron has spoken of the importance of revitalising British manufacturing as he led a Cabinet away-day.
The Prime Minister toured Adastral Park, BT's innovation and development centre near Ipswich, before chairing a Cabinet meeting on the site.
After the hour-and-a-half meeting, ministers will tour schemes across East Anglia.
Mr Cameron said: "This is a great opportunity to get the Cabinet out of London and understand the issues affecting this important region.
"Whether it is the Justice Secretary visiting community payback schemes or the Education Secretary visiting schools, this is a very useful opportunity for us all."
The visits include Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg touring the Colchester Institute, where he will set out the Government's commitment to getting young people into education or work.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke will be visiting Ipswich town centre where he will see offenders cleaning graffiti from public spaces, while Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith will speak to jobseekers and staff at Ingeus, a work programme provider in Colchester.
Mr Cameron was given a tour of the innovation centre by BT chief executive Ian Livingston and was shown some of the latest developments in health technology.
After the demonstration, Mr Cameron said: "The big challenge for the whole country is to get the economy growing and provide jobs for young people.
"We have got to broaden the economy so that it is not just centred upon financial services but also manufacturing, aerospace and technology - we need to be making things and selling them to the world."