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Quickstep has announced the company has raised its employment levels “significantly”, thanks to increased production volumes for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program.
Quickstep now employs about 240 people across Australia, up from just 50 in 2012, with nearly half involved in the manufacturing of carbon fibre composite components for the F-35 program.
The company also confirmed its plans to add another 40-50 employees, on top of the 380 per cent employment growth it has already undertaken, to satisfy new contract awards.
“We are continuing to recruit and develop a highly skilled and motivated team, capable of delivering our vision of being a leading global provider of advanced composite solutions," said Quickstep CEO and managing director Mark Burgess.
“Our highly capable workforce has substantial aerospace and defence experience and we have developed strong vocational training partnerships with TAFE NSW, Deakin University and other educational partners to ensure that our people have the highest level of skill available in the Australian market and meet all global competency requirements.”
Quickstep said it anticipates “significant additional production growth across the defence and commercial aerospace sectors” due to the increasing volume of JSF production.
The company confirmed it is “currently recruiting and developing the next generation of highly competent and capable people to achieve its future growth plans”, which would push it past its 2020 forecast of nearly 300 staff.
Quickstep is the largest independent aerospace-grade advanced composite manufacturer in Australia, operating from its aerospace manufacturing facilities at Bankstown Airport in Sydney, NSW as well as an R&D/process development centre in Geelong, Victoria.
About 225 staff work at the Bankstown facility.
You can see more on Quickstep’s composite manufacturing capabilities and skills here.
