‘We look to continue our legacy and build further on our heritage here in the heart of the South West’

Leonardo UK in Yeovil is the ‘Home of British Helicopters’ and as the company celebrates 80 years of manufacturing at the site in the Somerset town, it’s Chair and CEO ad interim, Clive Higgins, has told Somerset’s Alive! about why those living in the area should be excited about the future.

Clive was bold with his declaration about the capabilities of the company, saying: “Somerset and indeed Yeovil are at the heart of world leading innovation within British aerospace.

“We look to continue our legacy and build further on our heritage here in the heart of the South West not only for our products but for our people.”

The company’s history dates back to 1915, when the Westland Aircraft Works was founded as a division of Petters, in response to government orders for the construction under initial licence of 12 Short Type 184 seaplanes, followed by 20 Short Admiralty Type 166.

The planes were produced in Yeovil and moved by horse drawn cart and rail to Hamble-le-Rice by Solent for final assembly and test.

Clive continued: “We are the only helicopter manufacturer in the UK and this stems from our long history in building aircraft.

“We have bright prospects in Yeovil with Leonardo already planning as far as decades into the future.”

Clive went on to explain why those working at Leonardo UK should be positive about the future.

He said: “There’s the ongoing competition to provide a new medium-sized helicopter for the UK Armed Forces, which will replace a number of in-service types including the RAF Puma.

“Leonardo has committed to producing its AW149 helicopter in the UK should the Ministry of Defence select it.

“We need the entire community to support this campaign as it is critical to securing the future; not only for Yeovil and the Southwest but the UK as an end to end capability provider to the UK and other international customers. The AW149 is a strong candidate for this £1 billion Armed Forces requirement.”

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This is not the only front that the helicopter manufacturers are looking to progress.

Clive shared that the specialists and engineering skills at the company will help lead them into new territory.

He said: “Looking even further into the future, Leonardo in Yeovil continues to conduct research and development work into uncrewed – often called ‘drone’ – helicopters, with the UK Ministry of Defence recently placing a contract for the third phase of a technology demonstration programme.

“In Yeovil today, our specialised helicopter design and engineering skills have made the site a focus for uncrewed systems. We are now working on the technologies of tomorrow in the South West.

“Therefore, it’s an exciting time to be working at Leonardo with many of our teams actively involved in the future of aerospace.”

Clive added that the company has a long-standing link with businesses in the area: “Furthermore, we are well-rooted in the community due to the long establishment of our business in Somerset but we recognise the importance of collaboration in the county, hence our active involvement in iAero a £10million, purpose-built research, design and innovation facility.

“As a global aerospace and defence business, we are intrinsically integrated into a network of innovative opportunities across multiple countries and locations; iAero is designed to support the competitiveness and growth of the local aerospace and advanced engineering and manufacturing sector.

“The facility, next to our field, provides the perfect Petrie dish to grow innovative ecosystems in the aerospace sector right here in Somerset to complement developments at our site.”

Clive continued: “With the ongoing commitment and work of our partners, like Somerset Council and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, the regional aerospace sector looks to continue to evolve with iAero at its heart, making the region a strong location for aerospace and an appealing place to work and enhance skills.

“By maintaining the skills, expertise and experience of Yeovil’s workforce, the UK will be ready to play a big role, whatever the future brings.”

Leonardo UK is also working with schools in the area as they look to help develop the engineers of the future.

Clive described what initiatives have been undertaken by the aerospace company: “We work with many schools in the local area, through our STEM outreach. We have a dedicated committee of trainees that go into schools to inspire students with STEM activities related to aerospace engineering.

“Our young people are our greatest advocates through their engagement with primary and secondary schools.”

The company has also launched a competition for schools and Clive explained what they are hoping to inspire through it.

He said: “One such event is Flying Start, which is a STEM competition for local schools in the South West of England.

“The aim is for teams composed of four students to design, build and test a model glider that they will present at the regional Fly-Off, where each team will have the chance to fly their glider against schools from the same region and our trainees work closely with industry partners on the running of this event.

“It’s an incredible event that gets young people thinking about aerodynamics but most of all they have fun.”

Leonardo and Yeovil College have been working in partnership for nearly 60 years to improve the educational opportunities of young people with the two organisations being a natural fit, with Leonardo needing a pipeline of highly skilled early careers joiners to maintain the competitive edge of its Helicopters business, while Yeovil College looks to support extraordinary futures for its students.

Thousands of Leonardo trainees have been educated at Yeovil College and many of these have stayed with the company for significant parts of their careers, in some cases achieving senior leadership positions.

In the 2021-22 academic year, 50% of engineering apprentices at Yeovil College across all years were Leonardo employees.

Speaking about this special partnership, Clive told Somerset’s Alive!: “In one example of the two organisations’ close working relationship, the College has worked with Leonardo to tailor its Engineering Degree programme curriculum to make it laser-focused on real world challenges.

“In collaboration with Leonardo and the University of Plymouth, Yeovil College has set up new units designed to prepare learners for the engineering tasks Leonardo faces on a daily basis and ready them for the digital future of the international helicopter industry (e.g. Computer Aided Engineering for Composites). 

“All of this means that Yeovil College students are exceptionally well equipped for the world of work, which is good for Leonardo and good for other local and regional organisations that need young people with skills in areas such as precision engineering and metalwork. The College’s overall engineering provision represents around £1.2 million of income to Yeovil College each year.”

The College is currently training over 90 Leonardo Engineering Apprentices, contributing around £800,000 in funding over their four-year programmes from the Leonardo Apprenticeship Levy.

Yeovil College also trains non-engineering apprentices and is currently educating 14 Leonardo Apprentices in business administration, as operational/department managers and as installation and maintenance electricians.

Clive continued to describe the benefits of the location of the Yeovil-based company and what it can bring: “As I have mentioned the UK MOD is one of our largest customers, within Somerset, near our site, we are fortunate to have RNAS Yeovilton, one of the Navy’s principal air bases.

“We make many of the helicopters flown by the brave service personnel based in Yeovilton and we are proud to work so closely with them so that they can service our country from our county.”

He added: “I am on the Board for Great South West (GSW), which is a body that is starting to do great things to help support and kick start the local economy with a renewed focus on industrial capabilities, networks, and its people.

“The South West is the UK’s natural powerhouse, GSW will be focusing its priorities in alignment with the government’s in relation to better transportation investment, attracting people to the region, which, in, turn will enhance skills and productivity.

“I would invite people to look at the ground-breaking Great South West Energy prospectus, a truly inspiring vision that confirms the region is poised to become one of the leading providers of low carbon energy.”