More than 500 new apprentices, students and graduates are expected to swell the ranks of a major Lancashire aerospace employer in 2023.

Bosses at BAE Systems say the air sector roles - around 200 apprentices, 68 undergraduates and 238 graduates - will be split between their Samlesbury and Warton sites.

Another 11 head office roles will be shared between the Lancashire plants and their naval operations base in Barrow.

Directors say the recruitment campaign - part of a 2,622-strong drive across their business - represents a 43 per cent increase on the 2022 intake.

And the advent of Tempest, the future air combat programme to replace the Typhoon by the mid-2030s, which recently announced a high-level link-up with Italian and Japanese partners, will be central to a number of new recruits' futures.

In an interview at the Farnborough International Air Show this summer Ian Muldowney, chief operating officer and engineering director at BAE, said he believes the Tempest demonstrator programme will fuel East Lancashire’s economy through their presence.

He told the Lancashire Telegraph in July: "It’s going to be a supersonic platform that is designed, developed, integrated in the North West of England. The supply chain alone has about 300-500 (jobs) supplied throughout the UK, and a lot of them will be in the North West.”

The company also opened its £15.6m Academy for Skills and Knowledge at Samlesbury in December 2016, close to their advanced manufacturing hub, which is home to nearly 200 apprentices each year across the military, air and information sectors.

Tania Gandamihardja, their group human resources director, on the latest recruitment campaign, said: “Faced with economic challenges not seen in a generation, it’s essential for businesses like ours to invest in the next generation to equip young people with the skills they need to achieve their full potential and support social mobility.

“Providing high-quality early careers programmes gives young people a route into long-term employment and helps recruit the talent we need to deliver on vital national defence and security programmes, such as the Tempest next-generation combat aircraft and Dreadnought nuclear submarines.”

Robert Halfon, an education minister, added: “Apprenticeships are the catalyst to boosting the economy, building a skills nation and extending the ladder of opportunity to all.

“It’s extraordinary to see leading apprentice employer BAE Systems plan to recruit more than 2,600 apprentices and graduates this year across key industries including cyber security, aerospace engineering and software development.”

More than 50 programmes are available including cyber security, software development, aerospace engineering, accountancy and human resources.