BAE Systems has hired its first apprentices since axing almost 900 jobs.
Five technical apprentices have started at the firm's Military Air and Information (MAI) business in Brough.
In September 2011, BAE announced a major restructuring programme, which included moving manufacturing work away from East Yorkshire, with the loss of 899 jobs.
However, orders for its Hawk trainer jet from Saudi Arabia and Oman have meant a large amount of manufacturing work has remained at the site.
Site director Dave Corfield, who started as an apprentice in 1978, said the recruitment showed company confidence in the future of the plant.
"We know the past few years have been difficult for everyone and last year we did not take on any apprentices at Brough because of the restructuring programme," he said.
"However, this year we are welcoming another group of bright young people into our workforce and it is these people who will be the future of this site and we recognise the need to invest in their future to ensure this business remains strong for decades to come."
The redundancies in 2011 meant hundreds of workers faced having to retrain in order to secure a new career.
East Riding College worked with BAE to offer training to about 150 of those employees to help them back into work.
Having had no apprentice intake last year, the new recruits are a welcome sign for the business with BAE now looking to secure more export orders.
Jack Thornton, 20, of North Ferriby, left a job as a web designer to undertake the apprenticeship.
He said: "Even though I have been into IT since a young age, engineering is something that has always influenced me. My grandfather is a university lecturer in the subject and always encouraged me to look at it.
"When I saw the apprenticeship with BAE Systems, I knew the career prospects it offered and I wanted to get involved in making some special products.
"The traditional route of college and university was always an option, but earning while you learn through an apprenticeship seems a lot better than getting £40,000 of debt at university with no guarantee of a job at the end of it."
The apprentices will spend the next 10 months training at Hull College.
They will then return to Brough for two-and-a- half years when they will work in different parts of the business.
Caroline Russell, 18, of Beverley, said she hopes the apprenticeship will finish with a job at the business.
She said: "When you look around the business at the amount of people who started as apprentices and are still working today, you can see if you work hard, you can make a great living out of this."
