Hydrogen power and the skills needed to operate it are a huge challenge but with great opportunities for the aerospace industry.
They were the key messages I took from a special presentation by Business West - Jet Zero: Hydrogen and Skills, during their event yesterday, to a full house.
It was part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan project (LSIP), which Business West are developing for the government in the greater West of England region to give employers more of a say over their future skills landscape.
Matt Tudge, who is Project Manager of the West of England Plus LSIP, said:
“It’s part of a once in a generation change to the way government are putting employers at the heart of education and training provision going forwards”.
This session was a real overview of every element of aerospace going forwards - an industry which is vital to the economy of our region and one with a great heritage of skills.
I attend a lot of presentations but I can honestly say this was one of the most informative because it was asking so many questions about hydrogen in the aerospace industry and the skills it will require to ensure we stay ahead in the air travel and transportation technology race.
Matt’s team, with the help of the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), put together a great team of specialist speakers who included:
- David Eccles, Stakeholder manager - Bristol Airport
- Katy Milne, Head of Industrial Strategy and Bethany Hall, Technical Assistant - FlyZero, Aerospace Technology Institute
- Claire Arbery, Director - West of England Institute of Technology
- Alan SM Robinson, CEO - Smart Ports Ltd
- Trudie Savage FRAeS, Head of Powerplant, Hydrogen & Hydromechanical Systems Test - Airbus
- Lahiru Ranasinghe, Senior Strategy Manager - easyJet
Watch video of the event and listen to this stellar line-up talking about the challenge of hydrogen and skills in aerospace for our region.
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