Britain’s aerospace industry has the orders, technology and ambition to grow. Increasingly, the people who will turn that opportunity into production are becoming one of its most valuable assets. For ANT Industries, the nationwide drive to attract a new generation into aerospace represents an important moment for manufacturers throughout the UK supply chain. The Atherstone-based precision engineering specialist has welcomed the launch of There’s Aerospace For You, the recruitment campaign led by ADS and major aerospace employers to showcase the scale and variety of careers available across the sector.
Latest ADS figures underline the size of the opportunity. Around 66% of employers report persistent workforce and skills shortages, while aerospace, defence, security and space businesses collectively have around 10,000 technical vacancies to fill each year. For ANT Industries Managing Director Shaun Rowley, the numbers reinforce something familiar to engineering businesses: skilled people sit at the heart of future growth.
“Aerospace is entering an incredibly exciting period and skills are fundamental to turning that opportunity into real industrial growth,” said Rowley. “Aircraft production, engine programmes and MRO activity all rely on capable people throughout the supply chain. Every component ultimately depends upon somebody having the knowledge, training and pride to manufacture it correctly.”
The ADS campaign is taking a highly visible approach to recruitment. Its centrepiece is the Aero Space, a recruitment pod created from the upcycled fuselage of an Airbus A318. Following appearances in Bristol, Belfast and at the Farnborough International Airshow, the installation has continued its tour around major UK cities. Alongside the physical campaign, the Aerospace for You platform introduces potential recruits to careers, training opportunities and vacancies throughout the industry. The initiative is particularly relevant given research showing 59% of the public had received no previous information about aerospace careers, while half were unfamiliar with aerospace as a potential career path.
Rowley believes manufacturers themselves have an important part to play in changing that picture.
“We need to make advanced manufacturing visible,” he said. “When young people see modern CNC machining, automation, inspection technology and the precision involved in producing aerospace components, they begin to understand just how advanced this industry is. “There is a tremendous amount of engineering knowledge behind an aero engine component. Showing people that process can spark an interest which develops into a highly rewarding career.”
The campaign arrives as aerospace manufacturing continues to evolve rapidly. Investment in multi-axis machining, digital manufacturing, advanced inspection, automation and increasingly sophisticated production systems is reshaping the skills required throughout the supply chain. At ANT Industries, continued investment in manufacturing technology has been accompanied by a focus on the engineering expertise required to get the most from it. That combination matters as global aerospace programmes increase production and the MRO market expands to support a growing worldwide fleet.
“Advanced machinery gives British manufacturers tremendous capability, and skilled engineers unlock that capability,” Rowley added. “The two go together. We want people who are curious about how things work, who enjoy solving problems and who take satisfaction from producing something to an exceptionally high standard.”
The career proposition is also increasingly compelling economically. ADS figures put average aerospace salaries at around £52,600, approximately a third above the UK national average. Yet the industry’s appeal extends well beyond remuneration as engineering careers can now span machining, quality, metrology, production engineering, automation, robotics, digital technologies, sustainability, data and leadership. They also offer the opportunity to contribute directly to aircraft and propulsion programmes operating around the world. Rowley has previously spoken about his own lifelong enthusiasm for engineering, beginning with an early fascination with motorcycles and mechanical systems. He believes creating those first points of connection remains one of the most powerful ways of developing the industry’s future workforce.
“Engineering often starts with curiosity,” he said. “It might be motorcycles, aircraft, cars, computers or simply wanting to understand how something has been made. Aerospace gives people somewhere extraordinary to take that curiosity. “You can start your career learning how to manufacture a component and develop into programming, production engineering, quality, technical leadership or management. There are so many routes available.”
That message is particularly important for manufacturing businesses located outside the UK’s largest cities. ADS estimates that UK aerospace directly supports around 113,000 highly skilled jobs, with employment spread across established manufacturing clusters and supply chains throughout the country. For companies such as ANT Industries, that geographical reach demonstrates aerospace’s ability to create long-term engineering careers within local communities while contributing to a global industry. The scale of recruitment required also makes collaboration increasingly important. Government, trade bodies, aerospace primes, SMEs, colleges, universities and training providers all have a role in presenting engineering as an attractive career and creating accessible pathways into the sector. Rowley sees the ADS campaign as an opportunity to make that collective message considerably louder.
“The best way to build the aerospace workforce is to show people what is already happening inside businesses across Britain,” he said. “There are engineers producing extraordinary work every day, often on components that will ultimately operate in some of the most demanding environments imaginable. “If we can introduce more young people and career changers to that world, we can create opportunities for individuals while strengthening the manufacturing capability that makes UK aerospace internationally respected.”
For ANT Industries, the message to the next generation is therefore a simple one. Aerospace is growing. Technology is advancing. And behind every aircraft, engine and component is a career built on engineering skill.