Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS, has commended Airbus for the vital role it is playing in training apprentices, creating jobs and growing the Welsh economy after visiting the company’s North Wales site last week.
Darren, along with his Welsh Conservative colleagues, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Energy, Samuel Kurtz MS, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Sam Rowlands MS, and North Wales MS Mark Isherwood, visited Airbus’ factory in Broughton last Friday to learn how they can best support businesses like Airbus to thrive.
Airbus’ Broughton operations were showcased to the politicians to highlight the role Airbus plays in inward investment, growth and prosperity in Wales.
As part of the visit, Darren and his colleagues received an overview of Airbus operations in Wales including a summary of Airbus’ economic impact and discussions around the drivers that have enabled over £2 billion of investment into Wales over the last two decades.
They saw firsthand the manufacturing process of the company’s A320 single aisle aircraft wings, the A350 wide body aircraft wings and visited the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), which is home to Airbus’ Wing of Tomorrow Programme. This is one of Airbus’ largest research and technology projects designed to explore the best materials, manufacturing and assembly techniques, including new technologies in aerodynamics and wing architecture.
They also had an opportunity to meet and speak with Airbus apprentices.
Speaking after the visit, Darren said:
“Airbus is the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe, and Broughton, with its 81-year aerospace legacy, is a global centre of excellence for wing manufacturing, benefitting from more than £2 billion in investment over the past decade.
“It was a real pleasure to visit the Broughton site with my colleagues and to meet some of those who are contributing to making this site the success that it is. Thanks to the training provided by Airbus, the company has a talented workforce and I enjoyed meeting some of them during my visit.
“I was also very pleased to meet some of those on the company’s apprenticeship scheme, particularly given that our visit coincided with Apprenticeship Week.
“The highly technical nature of the aerospace industry has created a huge demand for skilled and qualified specialists in the UK, and Airbus have carefully designed their apprenticeship programmes to give their apprentices valuable practical training while they complete their studies.
“We are very fortunate in North Wales to have these fantastic opportunities for our young people on our doorstep, and I encourage people who may be considering an apprenticeship to have a look at what Airbus has to offer.”
“The visit overall was extremely useful and provided us with a greater understanding of the support that businesses like Airbus require.
“I thank all those involved in arranging the visit, as well as those who showed us around and spoke to us about their roles in the business. The information and feedback is extremely useful.
“I would also like to wish all the apprentices the very best going forward. Securing an apprenticeship with Arbus is certainly an excellent start and I am sure that they all have an exciting and successful future ahead of them.”
