As demand for skilled engineers continues to rise, the aerospace industry is struggling to attract enough young talent, with the rapid growth of the AI sector drawing many graduates away from traditional engineering careers.
The challenge was evident at the Farnborough Airshow, where aerospace companies, trade groups and educational organizations launched recruitment campaigns aimed at inspiring Generation Z and Generation Alpha to pursue careers in aviation and engineering.
Among them was 17-year-old Hassan Butt, a British student volunteering at the event, who hopes to build a career in aerospace engineering with a focus on missiles. Reflecting on his passion for aviation, he said, “Everyone when they’re kids, they look up, they see the planes flying and they think, damn…”
Despite enthusiasm from students like Butt, industry leaders say there are not enough young people entering the field. According to trade group ADS, the UK aerospace and defence sector faces a shortage of around 10,000 specialist engineers every year, while demand continues to grow.
A report released in March by the Royal Aeronautical Society found that more than 50% of licensed aerospace engineers in the UK are over the age of 50, while fewer than 10% are under 30. Although the industry has expanded by 31% over the past decade, the talent pipeline has not kept pace.
Kevin Craven, Chief Executive of ADS, said, “We in the aerospace industry have been experiencing a shortage of skilled workers for some time … despite the industry growing year on year for the past 10 years.” He added that emerging technologies such as flying taxis and sustainable aviation could help attract more young engineers.
The recruitment challenge comes as aerospace manufacturers including Boeing and Airbus work to meet record aircraft order backlogs while many experienced engineers approach retirement. Companies have increasingly replaced traditional apprenticeship programmes with graduate and entry-level recruitment initiatives.
Industry experts say competition for engineering talent is intensifying because technology companies often offer higher salaries and easier career entry. Jerrold Lundquist, Managing Director of The Lundquist Group, said, “If you’re an engineer coming out of Purdue or MIT or any other of the premier aerospace engineering programmes, you might say maybe I’ll go to Anthropic or OpenAI as opposed to Boeing or Airbus.”
The UK government hopes increased defence investment linked to the war in Ukraine will improve the sector’s appeal. According to ADS, the UK’s aerospace, defence and security industries contributed £46.8 billion to the economy last year.
Another 17-year-old attendee, Molly Haydon, said greater awareness is needed to encourage more students, particularly young women, to consider careers in the industry. She said, “I think they need to educate more young people on it and to get them more knowledge that there are still jobs available in the sector for everyone.”
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