But both industry and government are taking the issue seriously. The Department for Transport has launched an Aviation Ambassador initiative which is seeking to inspire the next generation of aviation professionals from a wide range of backgrounds.
One of those taking part – and banging the drum for a more representative workforce – is Alice Goodwin, a design and development engineer at Virgin Atlantic with a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“Your differences are your strengths,” she told FINN, when asked what her message would be to people considering a career in the aerospace industry. “I want everyone to feel that actually not coming from an aviation background or not knowing about engineering or your strengths not necessarily being maths or science – there’s still a place for you.
“There are some challenging problems: the aviation skill shortage, but also how aviation has got to become more sustainable. There’s AI, there’s all sorts of challenges coming, and having people with different backgrounds and different experiences is really going to be a strength that helps us solve problems differently.”
Goodwin won a scholarship aged 17 that enabled her to obtain a private pilot’s licence. With her passion for aviation ignited, she enrolled on a university course and then earned a placement with Virgin Atlantic – and has been working there ever since.
“When I was younger, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. At one point I wanted to be a fashion designer. Then I wanted to be a lawyer,” she said.
“I never really knew anyone in engineering or in aviation, so I never really considered it until I went to a careers fair and a pilot was there. That was my first exposure to the world of aviation.
“The pilot was so passionate and I thought, I need to find out more about aviation and what it entails. 15-year-old me made that my mission.
“So, I went gliding, which was great. I bought second-hand manuals to learn about flying. I started volunteering and getting involved with STEM. All of it paid off when I was 17 and I got a full private pilot’s licence scholarship.
“It was so incredible, because before I didn’t have access to anyone who worked in the aviation industry, and all of a sudden, I was involved with meeting lots of different people.
“I went off to university to study aerospace engineering, but I got two years in and thought, I have no actual work experience, and I really need to start thinking about what’s next. I was able to draw on that community and got in contact with one of my mentors, who was still a senior first officer at Virgin.
“I was invited in for an interview for a summer placement and I actually haven’t left Virgin since that day, which was over six years ago.”
As the sector continues to grow following the Covid-19 pandemic, having a young and diverse workforce that can embrace and adapt to new challenges – whether that be new technologies, cleaner travel or emerging trends – will ensure the UK is at the cutting edge of the aviation industry.
Over the next two years, the Aviation Ambassadors will serve as mentors and advocates, attending schools, mentoring events and workshops to showcase their experience and encourage young people to use their skills in aviation.
As well as delivering their own bespoke outreach activities to underrepresented groups, the ambassadors will also offer advice on where pathways into aviation can be created or improved – making it easier for young people to join the sector.
Goodwin added: “There is a huge skill shortage of people wanting to come into aviation, and our role of ambassadors is all about trying to say it’s a great industry. It’s all about myth busting.
“People aren’t sure about the routes to become a pilot: they ask, do I need to study maths, do I need to go to university? It’s a lot about making that path have as least resistance as possible.
“I’m interested in apprenticeships. How can we equip young people and get them excited about apprenticeships, excited about coming into aviation, being an engineer.
“My ambition for the future is that every young person in the year 7 to year 9 group actually knows what aviation entails, knows that it’s more than pilots and engineers and air traffic controllers and cabin crew. It’s all the back office support. It’s all the different functions, it’s all the safety and regulation.”
First published by FINN: www.wearefinn.com
Feb 1, 2024 – 10:30 am
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