Meon Valley MP Flick Drummond has shown apprentices from Lockheed Martin around Westminster before an event to celebrate those involved in the aerospace and defence industries.
Flick gave them a tour of the Palace of Westminster before they all went to ADS’s annual apprenticeship reception that included a visit by education secretary Gillian Keegan.
Jack Mitchell, Rebecca Richards, Harry Parnell, Emilia Edwards and Max Green are all based at the Lockheed Martin facility in Langstone Technology Park.
Around 60 other apprentices from companies like Rolls Royce and Collins Aerospace were at the event.
“I enjoyed meeting these young people and showing them around Westminster and hearing about the work they do for this important local employer in south Hampshire,” said Flick.
“Our defence, space and aerospace industries are world leading and to keep it that way we must ensure we invest in the next generation and that is why apprenticeships and other vocational qualifications are so vital.
“They were very impressive young people and I thank them for meeting with me and talking about some of the work and training they are doing.”
ADS is the trade association for aerospace, defence security and space. The sector employs 20,000 apprentices and is worth £37bn to the economy.
ADS chief executive Kevin Craven added: “At our parliamentary reception, we heard first hand from political stakeholders across the board their commitment to delivering prosperity for our future workforces.”
“From the new era of flight and the sustainability agenda, the deployment of AI and machine learning in defence and national security, or the UK’s Future Launch capability, the skills needed in our sectors continue to rapidly evolve.”
