Despite the harsh economic climate, the defence industry is holding up well. I, alone have seen requests for over 150 placements so far this year.
The continued demand for good engineers in the defence sector is down to a number of new contract announcements including the $2bn investment in the further development of the Lockheed Martin Lightning II fighter jet which will create 800 jobs over ten years and the £450m five-year contract won by BAE Systems to maintain and support the RAF’s Typhoon fleet of aircraft.
Homeland Security and the fact that the UK and US have forces abroad which need updated field technology, is also contributing to keeping the sector strong.
Currently the UK defence industry employs over 300,000 people which accounts for ten per cent of UK manufacturing jobs therefore defence is a key factor in pulling the economy out of a recession.
Some of the defence projects that have been announced are truly massive enabling job protection as well as creation. This is a good time for anyone with specialist skills to return to the sector.
In particular, companies across the country are looking for people with skills in military communications, surveillance, weapon systems, electronic warfare and general defence or aerospace systems engineering.
Many of the engineers that abandoned the defence industry for the seemingly more sexy area of telecoms are now finding themselves in a less stable sector. However, their previous experience around military radio communications is still of value and there are jobs to be had.
The significant cross over of skills from the aerospace industry which is also experiencing the downturn, means there are opportunities for engineers to move sectors.
One benefit of switching to the defence sector is undoubtedly the longevity and security of work. Most defence projects have a time span of around ten to 15 years and the sector also wins on the Government’s commitment to on-shoring.
For obvious protection and security reasons, there are no plans to out source projects therefore protecting UK-based jobs.
On the facilities side the defence sector has also dragged itself into the modern age. Gone are many of the 1960s drab buildings; defence engineers are more likely to find themselves working in facilities that are more like laboratories found on innovative campus sites than factories.
In picking up on best practice in other industries, defence companies have also advanced the working environment and not just physically with employees often benefiting from hot-desking and flexible working patterns.
In a bid to compete with the telecoms sector, defence companies have also invested in training budgets with wide opportunities available. There are some organisations that are investing in their workers developing language and business management skills as well as core engineering skills.
But to my mind one of the main reasons for an engineer wanting to work in the defence area is the toys!
Some of the world’s greatest innovations originate in defence businesses and I know many engineers that are just proud to have been part of that revolutionary life and labour saving new product that one day just might find its way into the home or on to high street.
Kay Alexander is divisional manager of Jonathan Lee Recruitment’s defence specialist