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It\u2019s careers day at a school on the outskirts of Bristol, and over two hundred 15- and 16-year-olds are waiting in the sports hall for a presentation.<\/p>\n A man explains how their company is at the forefront of renewable energy. A woman stands beside him, boasting about the opportunities they\u2019ve created for women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).<\/p>\n Reporting on the stories that matter to you. Only with your support.<\/p>\n The man fumbles with the projector. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I won\u2019t be able to show you the cool pictures of missiles and things,\u201d he says, according to a teacher who was present.<\/p>\n These employees are from Airbus, a company involved in the production of weapons.\u00a0<\/p>\n This school is one of many in Bristol allowing companies such as Airbus, BAE Systems, and other arms manufacturers to promote themselves through assemblies, educational resources, and competitions.<\/p>\n Airbus has partnered with at least seven primary schools near Filton. Rolls Royce sponsors <\/a>Cabot Learning Federation, a trust of over 35 schools. Babcock International, meanwhile, just opened its own welding apprentice school<\/a> with Weston College.\u00a0<\/p>\n While arms companies present themselves as promoting STEM careers, speaking to the Cable many teachers raised serious concerns about these companies normalising militarism and complicity in warfare.<\/p>\n The Saudi connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Back at the careers talk, Airbus staff discuss hydroelectricity and European bases, but not missiles.<\/p>\n Towards the end, one staff member Rick* asked: \u201cDo you sell military hardware to Saudi Arabia?\u201d The Airbus reps were startled. Some of the students laughed. Then silence fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of our students might be interested in working for you now. They need to know what the moral implications of doing that are,\u201d he added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Airbus employees glare, and an assistant headteacher steps in to end the assembly.\u00a0<\/p>\n In fact, Airbus has sold billions of pounds worth of military hardware to Saudi Arabia, including Eurofighter Typhoon jets used between 2015 and 2022 in the bombing of Yemen. According to the Yemen Data Project<\/a>, nearly 20,000 civilians were killed or injured during this period. Amnesty International reported evidence of war crimes<\/a> as the strikes destroyed homes, hospitals and schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rick was called into a manager\u2019s office, and told he\u2019d be subject to a formal investigation. During that time, the headteacher even phoned Airbus to apologise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parents were sent letters from the school, to reassure them that the staff member\u2019s views did not reflect the school\u2019s values.\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, almost a month later, Rick was asked to meet his line manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI asked what was inappropriate about the question, and it just turned into a fumbling twenty-minute conversation,\u201d he tells The Cable. \u201cHe vaguely suggested the concerns could be addressed elsewhere in the curriculum\u2026 that students could look up information on Airbus themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe tried to say my question was inappropriate because it was \u2018political\u2019, but war crimes are supposed to transcend politics\u2014they\u2019re meant to be something everyone agrees is morally wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n Devastation in Gaza<\/strong><\/p>\n British arms companies sell nearly a third<\/a> of the weapons they produce to countries with poor human rights records, including Saudi Arabia and Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n In October 2023, following Hamas\u2019 deadly attack, Israel began its brutal bombing campaign on Gaza. Two years on at least 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, with the UN and other human rights organisations ruling this a genocide.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s propaganda work. Companies clean up their image by investing in education.<\/p>\n Faria, Disarm Education<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Just months into the bombardment, staff from BAE Systems were invited to St Katherine\u2019s School near Bristol to speak to students. It is one of the UK\u2019s largest arms companies, and one of the main partners<\/a> in the production of F-35 fighter jets, many sold to Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was sprung upon a lot of teachers,\u201d says Alice*, a former St Katherine\u2019s employee. Students weren\u2019t told about the company\u2019s arms involvement or its role in Gaza. \u201cIt was a disgrace,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The school\u2019s careers officers emailed staff, saying the assembly would give year 8 students a chance to explore aeronautics and STEM careers.<\/p>\n Since 2020, BAE Systems has spent over a billion pounds<\/a> on education and skills development, regularly showcasing their forays on social media. Posts include robot dogs, lightsaber fights, and presenters with names like \u2018Mr Magnetic.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n But crucially \u2013 as Alice points out: \u201cThey don\u2019t mention at all who they are or what they actually do.\u201d<\/p>\n Lack of scrutiny<\/strong><\/p>\n Nick, a religion and ethics teacher, says the same about Rolls Royce, who recently visited his Filton school. \u201cThey don\u2019t talk about weapons. They focus on aerospace, then greenwash it by saying, \u2018we\u2019re developing synthetic fuels.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He adds that discussing war with students is tricky. \u201cI teach peace and conflict, but if I start talking about missiles, there\u2019s a good chance someone\u2019s dad works at the nearby Ministry of Defence.\u201d And, he knows many of the students will go on to apprenticeships with Rolls Royce or BAE Systems, both of which have bases in Filton.\u00a0<\/p>\n Faria, from Disarm Education, a campaign set up by educators, parents and students to end arms companies\u2019 involvement in schools, claims these visits often happen without parental awareness, scrutiny or consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cParents need to give consent for sexual health lessons and religious trips, but they don\u2019t have to for arms companies, which is something that we want to raise in the campaign,\u201d she tells the Cable.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s propaganda work. Companies clean up their image by investing in education. Rolls Royce don\u2019t announce themselves as an arms company, they\u2019ll hide it under the veneer of innovation, engineering and technology.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Some companies go further. French company Thales, a French company, tours their missile simulator around UK schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Lockheed Martin, the world\u2019s largest<\/a> arms manufacturer, produced an activity book with a \u2018colour in the F-35 fighter plane\u2019 exercise for British Science Week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n <\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Colour-in-fighter-jet-2.png\")
\u2018Colour in the fighter jet\u2019: A page from an activity book produced by Lockheed Martin, the world\u2019s biggest arms manufacturer. <\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Light-saber-snapshot.png\")
BAE Systems spends billions on education and skills development and showcase their forays, like lightsaber fights, online. <\/p>\n