Engineering giant BAE Systems is to open a recruitment office in Birmingham in a effort to attract some of the workers who lost their jobs following the collapse of MG Rover.
CBI director-general Sir Digby Jones welcomed the move and said he hoped it would lead to a number of skilled workers remaining in the manufacturing sector.
The employers’ group chief said he hoped that within a year most of the 6,000 Longbridge workers who lost their jobs will find other employment, albeit on slightly lower wages.
He also said government had a responsibility to ensure that apprentice workers at dealers could continue their training despite the crisis.
The business model for MG Rover had been wrong from the time the company was sold by BMW five years ago, said Jones.
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It was trying to compete in a brutally competitive sector employing far more workers than other car factories and producing far fewer vehicles, he said.
Network Rail has also said it will recruit up to 200 former Rover workers. The rail infrastructure company is planning to hold a jobs fair to discuss recruitment possibilities with the Longbridge workers.
