Giants of Aerospace Engineering Landed in Wrexham For Summit On Industry’s Future

Giants of international aerospace engineering landed at Wrexham Glyndwr University for a summit on the future of the industry in Wales.

The Welsh institution hosted the ‘Aerospace Wales Forum’, which brought together more than 60 top companies, Welsh Government officials and organisations to discuss how best to capitalise on growth in the sector, job opportunities, skills and training, and impact on the economy.

Held at the Catrin Finch Centre at the Wrexham campus, attendees included Airbus, Raytheon, Marshall Group, Tritech, DECA Sealand and Babcock International.

Dickie Davis OBE, Deputy Director for the Welsh Government’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Sector, praised the University for hosting the “inspiring” programme.

“This was an excellent event organised by the Aerospace Wales Forum – the speakers all enforced the huge potential of the engineering industry in terms of job potential and variety in Wales, and on the world stage,” he said.

“Academia has a significant role to play in underpinning the sector and getting graduates job ready, so I would like to Wrexham Glyndwr University for hosting such an inspiring event.”

Apprentices from Airbus spoke of the importance of intertwining education and industry, followed by presentations by Bob Ditton, Head of Engineering at Raytheon, and Richard Day, Professor of Composites Engineering at Wrexham Glyndwr, amongst others.

John Whalley, Chief Executive of Aerospace Wales, later chaired a discussion on skills, engineering and the aerospace arena going forward.

Professor Maria Hinfelaar, Vice-Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University, paid tribute to the sector’s joined-up approach in Wales and said the institution has a key role to play as it looks to further strengthen its engineering offering in the years ahead.

“It is an honour for us to have the cream of engineering in Wales and internationally here at the University for such important discussions,” said Professor Hinfelaar.

Professor Day, who recently made headlines for his work in developing new methods that will drastically reduce the time taken to manufacture parts for aircraft, praised the work carried out at Wrexham Glyndwr University.

He agreed the University, in partnership with its further education and industry colleagues, should be up front and centre as the sector develops, not just in Wales but globally.

“We have a rich tradition and reputation for engineering here at Wrexham Glyndwr,” he said.

“As we all look to the future together and bring through the next generation of engineers, it’s important we stand side by side and ensure we are at the forefront when it comes to providing them with the necessary skills to succeed on the world stage.

“This event was very encouraging, and it was an honour for us to host it here on our Wrexham campus.”