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Many a decision to pursue a career in aerospace will have been made at the Farnborough Airshow, an event that gives the sector a showcase for its products that few industries can rival.
On the eve of the latest Farnborough, however, the UK’s aerospace jobseekers could be forgiven a touch of apprehension. The industry has felt its share of pain in the recession and uncertainty about future defence budgets – a major driver for the sector – will hardly help.
Despite this, aerospace remains one of the UK’s key assets and a major provider of the type of technology-led jobs that the new government has made a priority to develop. The domestic industry employs more than 100,000 people in the UK and a further 50,000 overseas. With an average salary some 43 per cent higher than the national mean, its jobs are especially valuable to the general economy.
UK aerospace is successfully carving out strong positions in areas that are likely to see growth over the next decade, including advanced materials, more environmentally benign aircraft systems and UAVs.
More immediately, the UK is in the happy position of playing host to companies involved in some of the world’s most significant civil and military aerospace projects. The likes of BAE Systems, GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce and Cobham ensure that UK aerospace remains among the world’s leaders and help maintain an industry with an ongoing requirement for skilled engineers as well as new entrants to the sector.
One major global aircraft OEM with a strong presence in the UK, Airbus, confirmed that the search for skilled engineers and talented graduates will continue in 2010.
Airbus plans to hire 700 engineers, including 210 graduates, across its business this year. With 10,000 employees in the UK – where among other activities it makes the wings for the flagship A380 at Broughton, North Wales – and more than 40,000 others worldwide, the company claims the prospects for careers development and progression are good.
Thomas Ehm, head of employment, training and competence management at Airbus, said newly-hired employees benefit from excellent training which helps them succeed within the company and better understand their technical area, group function and products. ‘Besides technical skills, strong personal skills are essential for progressing in Airbus’ multinational environment, and will contribute to the complex programmes conducted by multidisciplinary teams. We are looking for adaptability in our employees, and the ability to fit into an international environment and work as part of a team,’ said Ehm.
The majority of the people hired by Airbus in 2010 will be engineers. They are being called on to engage their skills in areas such as stress and composite material design, supply chain management, project management, structures and systems, and configuration management.
The importance of engineering to Airbus’ future success means the company spends considerable efforts on developing its graduates. ‘Graduate engineers will contribute to our different programmes, from the single-aisle aircraft in the A320 family to the long-range A330 and A340 aircraft,’ said Ehm.
Other graduates will also be able to work on the A380 programme, described by Airbus as the ‘jewel in the crown’ and the most eco-efficient aircraft on the market. Some will be able to work alongside experienced engineers.
One of the attractions and challenges of a career in the aerospace industry is the ability to shape aviation in the future, and Airbus is no exception.
‘Airbus is designing and developing the aircraft of tomorrow – such as the A400M at Airbus Military, and the A350 XWB, a medium-capacity wide-body aircraft which features the latest innovations and technological challenges,’ said Ehm.
Airbus also contributes to the wider skills agenda, added Ehm. ‘Today we are looking at what skills will be required to build the eco-efficient aircraft of tomorrow. We work closely with universities and engineering schools, and exchange information with them on what will be needed tomorrow so that their students will receive appropriate training.’
The global nature of the business is another asset to career development, said Ehm, who claimed there is no such thing as a typical career at Airbus. An engineer can work in any department, from customer support to the design office, and functions as varied as aircraft design, aerodynamic studies or product specification.
‘After a few years, they can progress towards programmes or management, broaden their spectrum of responsibilities to more complex systems and even become the engineer in charge of an aircraft programme.’
The company has deployed new tools to further develop the internal mobility of its staff. It uses its internal communication network to organise ‘job-dating’ sessions, bringing together managers and staff members wishing to develop their careers.
Seventy per cent of employees who take part in a job-dating session change position and each year 4,000 people are successfully placed through the job mobility programme within Airbus.
