The aerospace industry has been quick to recruit qualified engineers who are out of a job following the collapse of UK car manufacturer MG Rover.
More than 5,000 people were made redundant at Rover's Longbridge plant in Birmingham, central England, at the end of April, including many engineers and skilled workers. And while the collapse of the last UK-owned volume car maker has shaken the country's already-shrinking manufacturing sector, it has created an opportunity within the aerospace industry to meet an engineering skills shortage.
Airbus has been one of the first companies to capitalise by visiting Longbridge, seeking to recruit 100 extra manufacturing engineers among 300 existing vacancies for its Airbus sites in Filton, and Broughton.
Airbus UK managing director Iain Gray says: "We are all very saddened at what has happened at Rover. These highly-skilled car workers deserve the opportunity to apply their skills for the benefit of their families and the UK economy as a whole."
Airbus UK's workforce of 13,000 is steadily rising, along with those at 400 UK supplier companies. And the launch of the 250-300 seat A350 should create a further 10,800 British jobs.
Employers who take on Rover staff will have free training provided by the UK's Learning and Skills Council, with the added incentive of free training for another existing employee.
Derges adds: "We know there are people out there in the community with engineering skills to fill the vacancies currently available, but we are not getting them."
The MEIRG website (www.meirg.org.uk) advertises engineering vacancies and skilled workers through a redeployment database. The RTF offers a range of support services through its own website, a hotline and ongoing jobs fairs.
More than 5,000 people were made redundant at Rover's Longbridge plant in Birmingham, central England, at the end of April, including many engineers and skilled workers. And while the collapse of the last UK-owned volume car maker has shaken the country's already-shrinking manufacturing sector, it has created an opportunity within the aerospace industry to meet an engineering skills shortage.
Airbus has been one of the first companies to capitalise by visiting Longbridge, seeking to recruit 100 extra manufacturing engineers among 300 existing vacancies for its Airbus sites in Filton, and Broughton.
Airbus UK managing director Iain Gray says: "We are all very saddened at what has happened at Rover. These highly-skilled car workers deserve the opportunity to apply their skills for the benefit of their families and the UK economy as a whole."
Airbus UK's workforce of 13,000 is steadily rising, along with those at 400 UK supplier companies. And the launch of the 250-300 seat A350 should create a further 10,800 British jobs.
Employers who take on Rover staff will have free training provided by the UK's Learning and Skills Council, with the added incentive of free training for another existing employee.
Derges adds: "We know there are people out there in the community with engineering skills to fill the vacancies currently available, but we are not getting them."
The MEIRG website (www.meirg.org.uk) advertises engineering vacancies and skilled workers through a redeployment database. The RTF offers a range of support services through its own website, a hotline and ongoing jobs fairs.
Source: Flight Daily News
