South Yorkshire manufacturers are increasingly exploring opportunities within the aerospace and defence sectors as investment, reshoring and long term supply chain demand continue to grow across the UK.
Elevation Recruitment Group recently joined Lloyds, the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), Make UK, Sheffield City Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority for a collaborative industry event focused on helping manufacturers understand how to access aerospace and defence supply chains.
Hosted at the AMRC in Sheffield, the event brought together manufacturers from across the region to discuss the practical realities, challenges and opportunities involved in transitioning into aerospace and defence manufacturing.
The event opened with insight from Matthew Farnsworth, who outlined the scale of opportunity emerging across UK aerospace and defence manufacturing.
Discussion focused on major programmes including GCAP and Rolls Royce UltraFan, alongside the growing need for resilient UK supply chains capable of supporting future aerospace production and defence investment.
A key theme throughout the morning was that the supply chain partnerships for future aerospace programmes are being established now, creating significant opportunity for manufacturers prepared to invest early in capability, quality systems and operational readiness.
Economic and investment updates were delivered by James Miller and Dave Atkinson, highlighting how manufacturers can access support, funding and strategic banking partnerships when pursuing aerospace and defence opportunities.
Further discussion from Justin Homer and Abbie Miladinovic focused on the South Yorkshire Investment Zone and the £50 million Defence Growth Deal.
These initiatives aim to strengthen advanced manufacturing capability across the region and support SMEs looking to access a share of wider UK defence spending and aerospace supply chain growth.
One of the most valuable sessions came from Shirley Harrison and Rushabh Shah, who explored the practical challenges manufacturers face when entering aerospace and defence sectors.
The discussion covered:
A particularly important point raised during the session was the realistic timeline involved in achieving aerospace accreditation standards such as AS9100 and NADCAP.
For many manufacturers, becoming fully supply ready can realistically take up to two years, highlighting the importance of long term planning and investment rather than expecting quick wins within aerospace and defence manufacturing.
The AMRC Scale Up programme was also discussed as a route for SMEs to de risk investment decisions, validate technical capability and improve productivity performance.
The panel discussion, facilitated by Rachel Pringle, included representatives from AMRC, Lloyds, Sheffield City Council, Make UK and Elevation Recruitment Group.
Questions from manufacturers focused heavily on skills shortages, recruitment challenges and workforce planning within aerospace and defence manufacturing.
Topics included:
During the discussion, Daniel Parvaz and John Bohan discussed the growing importance of recruiting adaptable talent from outside traditional aerospace and defence backgrounds.
Many of the core skills required within aerospace and defence manufacturing are already well established across South Yorkshire’s manufacturing base, including:
The discussion reinforced that businesses moving into aerospace and defence cannot rely solely on traditional recruitment methods. Manufacturers investing successfully into higher specification sectors are increasingly focusing on leadership development, retention strategies, graduate pathways and apprenticeship programmes.
One of the clearest messages from the event was that aerospace and defence manufacturing represents a significant long term opportunity for UK manufacturers, but it is not a shortcut market.
Barriers to entry remain high due to the requirements around:
However, South Yorkshire manufacturers already possess many of the transferable capabilities required to compete successfully within these sectors.
With increasing UK defence investment, supply chain reshoring and growing demand for advanced manufacturing capability, the region is well positioned to play a larger role within the future aerospace and defence ecosystem.
At Elevation Recruitment Group, we work closely with manufacturing and engineering businesses across South Yorkshire and the wider UK to support recruitment across leadership, engineering, operations and technical functions.
As manufacturers continue to explore opportunities within aerospace and defence, workforce strategy, leadership capability and technical recruitment will remain critical factors in long term success.
To discuss recruitment support within manufacturing, engineering, aerospace or defence sectors, contact the team at Elevation Recruitment Group
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