People across the UK are being encouraged to consider a career in the aviation sector as the government launches a brand new recruitment campaign aimed at tacking a skills shortage.

Generation Aviation is part of the government’s 22-point plan to support aviation as it recovers from the pandemic, and forms part of the wider aviation strategy Flightpath to the Future.

The recruitment campaign builds on £1.5 million announced by the government over the summer to boost recruitment into the sector.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the air transport and aerospace sectors contributed at least £22 billion to GDP each year and provided at least 230,000 jobs across all regions of the country directly. However, there are several challenges ahead, from decarbonisation to changing travelling patterns following the pandemic.

How new campaign will help boost recruitment

  • Raising awareness of aviation careers, such as through our £700,000 Reach for the Sky programme which will fund outreach programmes and events to educate young people from all backgrounds on the opportunities on offer in aviation
    Signposting training, careers and opportunities to people looking to enter or move up in the industry, including through the relaunched Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform (ASRP) and TalentView Aviation, which have already received £600,000 in funding
    Championing the sector to celebrate its successes and promote it to a wider audience, including through the incumbent and new Aviation Ambassadors inspiring representatives of the aviation sector and its breadth of opportunities
    Driving research and data to articulate the issues facing the sector and inform decision making on its future resilience

For the sector to successfully adapt, it requires new skills and a robust pool of talent across a wide range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and other critical roles.

An aviation workforce fit for the future

The campaign is being launched on Monday at London’s Heathrow Employment & Skills Academy, where in an opening address Transport Minister Baroness Vere said: “The aim of Generation Aviation is quite simply, to build an aviation workforce fit for the future – a future that can only be realised by a new generation of aviation workers, from all corners of the country, representing the rich diversity of modern Britain.”

This will be followed by several events over the coming days aimed at students, those already in other careers looking to make a future in aviation, as well as those already in the industry who are keen to progress or seek new skills and roles.

Tuesday will see webinars and panels on how people can enter the industry through education pathways; Wednesday will look at early career opportunities; Thursday will look in more depth at life in the sector; and Friday will focus on accessibility, diversity and inclusion.

Jobs, apprenticeships and work experience

Heathrow’s learning and inclusion director Jason Knight said: “A successful aviation sector connects countries and continents; it acts as the global gateway for leisure, commerce, and families, and is a central pillar for local communities and the national economy.

“Generation Aviation is a timely celebration of everything this sector provides and the opportunities we can create through career opportunities here.

“To support this Heathrow has set two major targets: creating 10,000 jobs and apprenticeships and 15,000 “experience of work days” by 2030.”
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