GKN Aerospace to hire twice as many apprentices this year (From Gazette Series)

GKN Aerospace to hire twice as many apprentices in Filton and Severn Beach this year

9:30am Monday 11th February 2013 in News By Marion Sauvebois

AN ENGINEERING firm is to double its intake of apprentices in Filton and Severn Beach.

GKN Aerospace has revealed it would invite 44 apprentices to join its training programme at its Filton and Western Approach headquarters.

Last year the manufacturer had recruited just 23 young people as part of the scheme.

Steve Colebrook, general manager at the Western Approach facility, who himself began his career as an apprentice, said: "Today at both Filton and Western Approach our wing structures engineering and manufacturing skills are second to none.

"Having started my own career as an apprentice I know that the contribution of the young people who join this scheme will be critical to our long term business success. It is a true pleasure to see each individual develop and grow in confidence through this apprenticeship programme."

GKN Aerospace’s apprentice scheme at the Filton and Severn Beach sites has grown every year since its launch in 2009, when just ten recruits started training with the company.

Out of the 44 apprentices 38 will be placed in advanced apprenticeships and six in higher apprenticeships.

John Pritchard, managing director of GKN Aerospace Filton, said: "The success of our apprenticeship scheme - for us as an employer as well as for our young trainees - is apparent the constant growth of our Bristol- based programme.

"We get them involved in the production process swiftly so that by their second year they are making a real contribution, under careful supervision, to creating the highly complex wing structures we provide for some of the world’s leading military and commercial aircraft."

A total of 51 apprentices are currently being trained by the company in the Bristol area.

GKN Aerospace has a worldwide reputation for its engineering innovation and technological expertise. Current work includes providing wing movable surfaces for Dassault’s new super mid-sized business jet and wing structures for Airbus’s A330 and A320 aircraft programmes.

It employs 12,000 people in 30 facilities across three continents.

To apply for an apprenticeship visit www.gkn.com/aerospace