A stake in the future of UK aerospace

A conference on the future the UK aerospace industry is being held in central London on Wednesday 3rd July.

The event, staged by the Westminster Business Forum, will be an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the next steps for the sector in light of the Government’s latest Aerospace Sector Deal which aims to maintain the UK’s position in the global supply chain and exploit new developments such as hybrid-electric and electric propulsion, drones and urban air mobility.

The conference will assess the proposals set out in the Sector Deal and consider the next steps required in order to bring the plans to fruition and achieve the stated aims of skilled job creation, and developing the UK sector to secure its position in global markets and at the forefront of developing future technologies.

Delegates will discuss how this investment should be used by aerospace manufacturers to research and engineer new technologies which meet the global shift in future mobility needs for electric aircraft and those using other alternative fuels, drones and other urban air vehicles, new models of airspace management and fresh approaches to ground support infrastructure.

Attendees will look at how small and medium sized employers in the aerospace supply chain can be supported to work more effectively with large manufacturers, to accelerate development of technology and bring growth to the regions at a time when each LEP is developing their own Local Industrial Strategy.

With Brexit bringing possible supply chain disruptions and higher manufacturing costs, if imports and exports from the EU are subject to tariffs, the seminar will discuss what this means for the UK’s global position, consider priority countries for new trade arrangements and assess what more needs to be done to ensure the UK can continue to compete in a global market.

As the Sector Deal aims to support the delivery of good jobs and greater earning power for all as set out in the Industrial Strategy, further sessions will consider the collaboration required between industry, education providers and local government in order to equip the future workforce with the skills required for jobs shaped by the changing demands of the next generation of technology.

In light of the development of the Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter there will also be a discussion on what needs to be done to improve diversity and gender balance in the sector.

Keynote speakers at the conference include: Colin Smith, Chair, Aerospace Growth Partnership and President, ADS; John Copley Chair, Strategy Working Group, Aerospace Growth Partnership and Executive Vice President, Strategy, Rolls-Royce and Graham Peters, Chair, UKspace; and Managing Director, Avanti Government.

Other speaker lined up for the event include: Stephen Bashford, West of England Combined Authority; David Debney, Aerospace Technology Institute; Yvonne Elsorougi, Women in Aerospace and Aviation Committee (WAAC) and Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS); Tim Johnson, Aviation Environment Federation; Dr Andrew Mair, Midlands Aerospace Alliance; Dr John Morlidge, Innovate UK; Jeremy Ridyard, Produmax and Chris White, King’s College London.

The conference is CPD Certified.