Events

FIA 2012: Secretary of State for Wales attends Futures Day

Posted 13 July 2012

Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, the secretary of state for Wales, today visited the innovation zone during Futures Day at Farnborough International Airshow, where she met students and exhibitors.

Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, secretary of state for Wales, stops by to speak to Norman Cook from Airbus, the headline sponsor of the innovation zone.

"What I was trying to get across to the minister was the excitement and commitment within Airbus about the commitment to UK wing and maintaining the wing centre within the UK, and how such an important part of that is engagement of young people. This is an engagement and commitment for the long term, so today is really great because we get a chance to advertise what we're trying to achieve, what our ambition is and hopefully motivate a lot of them to come into the sector," said Norman Wood, Airbus.

Rt Hon Cheryl Gillan MP, secretary of state for Wales, meets Professor Phil Bowen, deputy director of engineering (innovation and engagement) and executive director, Gas Turbine Research Centre at Cardiff University's School of Engineering.

"As a Russell Group University at Cardiff, we're trying very hard to work with industry much closer," said Professor Phil Bowen deputy director of engineering (innovation and engagement) and executive director, Gas Turbine Research Centre at Cardiff University's School of Engineering, who showed the minister Cardiff University's exhibits of examples of what the university does in the aerospace sector, including a model replica of a gas turbine, research carried out by the university's Lightening Laboratory and damage detection that is fitted within the wings of an aircraft.

"Our exhibits represent how Wales has made best use of structural funds, which is money we get from Europe that we can then use invest and then attract other economic advantage to Wales in the future," said Bowen.

"Futures Day is absolutely wonderful. The feel and the buzz and the kids coming along is maginificent. This is extremely helpful to us. There's a big issue in engineering and in certain sectors of engineering there's a shortfall of applicants, so we need these sorts of events to help get more applicants in."