The aerospace industry is struggling to attract young recruits, with a shortage of around 10,000 specialized engineers a year in the UK. This shortage is exacerbated by the fact that more than 50% of licensed aerospace engineers are older than 50, while fewer than 10% are under 30.

Challenges in Attracting Young Talent

Industry bodies and companies are working to lure potential recruits from Generation Z and Alpha, but the competition is fierce. Other sectors requiring similar engineering skills have a lower barrier to entry and often pay higher salaries, especially in technology.

At the Farnborough airshow, 17-year-old Hassan Butt expressed his enthusiasm for a career in aerospace and engineering, but his dream is not shared by many of his peers. The UK government is hoping that renewed investment in defence, tied to the war in Ukraine, can help boost the appeal of joining the sector.

Companies are using various tactics to attract young recruits, including engine-building exercises and Top Gun-like flying displays. However, many companies in the sector scrapped feeder apprenticeship programmes that support longer-term careers in cost-saving measures a few years ago. These have largely been replaced by entry-level jobs or graduate schemes.

The UK aerospace, defence and security sectors added 46.8 billion pounds to the UK economy last year, but the talent pipeline has not kept pace with the industry’s growth. Innovations in flying taxis and sustainability could help to coax younger engineers into signing up, but more needs to be done to educate young people about the opportunities available in the sector.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.