Celebrating Skilled Trainee Recruitment: Honoring National Apprenticeship Week in the UK
Airbus UK, a leading name in the aerospace industry, marked National Apprenticeship Week 2024 with a series of events aimed at engaging potential future apprentices, showcasing success stories, and expanding apprenticeship opportunities.
During the week, apprentices from Airbus Defence & Space division visited two local schools to discuss the rewards of a career at Airbus. This provided an excellent opportunity for the apprentices to hone their public speaking skills while engaging with potential future apprentices.
One of the key highlights of Airbus UK's activities during the week was the showcasing of apprenticeship success stories and contributions of current and former apprentices to Airbus projects. The company also launched or promoted new apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship schemes to attract diverse talent into aerospace engineering and manufacturing.
Collaborations with educational institutions and industry partners were also a significant part of Airbus UK's activities. These collaborations aim to expand training opportunities and pathways for aspiring aerospace professionals.
Airbus UK also organised events or open days celebrating apprentices and raising awareness about the value of apprentices within the company. The Rt Hon Robert Halforn MP, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education, even visited the Airbus Filton plant and met with apprentices to discuss aerospace apprenticeships.
In addition, Airbus UK hosted a STEM Day at its Filton plant for local schools, with 58 students on site to learn about the opportunities of a future career in aerospace. This was a major step forward for the site's strategic ambition to grow the number of early careers employees at the Newport campus.
Airbus Defence and Space Newport site welcomed its first ever cohort of Degree Apprentices in Cyber UK in September 2023. Ten apprentices are currently working in Cyber Security, Test, Hardware and Software Engineering, with six more scheduled to join in September 2024. Each apprentice attends university one day per week for the next five years to complete their undergraduate degree.
The Cyber team at Airbus Defence and Space Newport works closely with universities to ensure that the work apprentices carry out onsite aligns with their academic studies. This combination of academic and practical experience is highly valued by Airbus, as evidenced by a reference to a degree apprentice working for the company.
Airbus strongly believes that recruiting apprentices is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce. The company offers apprenticeships across its commercial, helicopter, defence, and space divisions, with over 250 apprentices employed across its two major sites in Broughton and Filton.
The chance to work with the team in Newport, with so many different engineers who are experts in their field, provides apprentices with non-stop learning opportunities. Airbus supports apprentices who complete their apprenticeship by paying for them to continue their studies at university.
Apprenticeships are a vital enabler of knowledge transfer in highly technical fields like aviation, space, cyber, and defence. With over 30 apprentices each at the Portsmouth and Stevenage sites developing skills for the future space industry, it is clear that Airbus is committed to nurturing the next generation of aerospace professionals.
Airbus apprentices attended a reception put on by the ADS Group in Parliament during UK National Apprenticeship Week, meeting senior government officials and networking with apprentices from other companies in the sector. This event underscored Airbus's commitment to supporting and celebrating apprenticeships in the UK.
In conclusion, Airbus UK's activities during National Apprenticeship Week 2024 were centred around engagement, recognition, and expansion of apprenticeship opportunities. While specific initiatives or collaborations were not found in the current search results, it is clear that Airbus is dedicated to developing its apprenticeship programmes and nurturing the next generation of aerospace professionals.
- Airbus Defence & Space division's apprentices, as part of National Apprenticeship Week activities, visited local schools to discuss career opportunities in the aerospace industry and hone their public speaking skills.
- Airbus UK's events during the week included showcasing success stories of apprentices and launching new apprenticeship and degree apprenticeship schemes, aiming to attract diverse talent into aerospace engineering.
- Collaborations with educational institutions and industry partners were a crucial part of Airbus UK's initiatives, providing expanded training opportunities for aspiring aerospace professionals.
- The Rt Hon Robert Halforn MP, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships, and Higher Education, visited Airbus's Filton plant to discuss aerospace apprenticeships, demonstrating government support for the program.
- Airbus Defence and Space Newport site began offering degree apprenticeships in Cyber UK, providing students with practical experience in Cyber Security, Test, Hardware, and Software Engineering, along with academic studies at university.
