London Stansted's Aviation Careers Festival Inspires 500+ Students with Hands-On Experience

London Stansted Opens Doors to Future Aviation Talent

London Stansted Airport recently hosted its first-ever Aviation Careers Festival, welcoming over 500 students from Essex and Hertfordshire for a hands-on introduction to the exciting world of aviation.

A Gathering of Industry Leaders

The event, held at the airport's Radisson Blu Hotel, brought together 20 major airport employers including:

• UK Border Force
• Essex Police
• NATS (air traffic control)
• Jet2
• Swissport
• Titan Airways
• Ryanair
• Radisson
• Multiple teams from Manchester Airports Group (MAG)

Hands-On Learning Experiences

Students aged 14-19 participated in various interactive activities designed to showcase aviation careers:

• Flight simulators for pilot experience
• Engineering challenges to test problem-solving skills
• Technology demonstrations of airport systems
• Industry professional talks about career journeys and roles
• CPR training provided by the British Heart Foundation's Start a Heart programme

Leadership Perspectives

Gareth Powell, Managing Director at London Stansted, emphasized the airport's role as "the largest single-site employer in the East of England" and highlighted the festival's importance in showcasing the "huge range of exciting career paths" available.

Government and Industry Support

The festival is part of the Reach for the Skies initiative, funded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Department for Transport, which awarded nearly £90,000 to inspire future aviation talent across MAG airports.

Aviation Minister Keir Mather noted: "Through our Reach for the Sky programme we've invested over £800,000 in the last year... helping give thousands of young people opportunities to learn about the varied career paths into aviation."

Brenda Jefcoate, STEM Lead at the CAA, added: "These events are a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn about the huge variety of careers in aviation... With new technologies and challenges on the horizon, bringing in new talent is essential."

Student and Educator Reactions

Louis Mason from New Hall School, Chelmsford, shared: "I had no idea how many different jobs there are at London Stansted... It's really opened my eyes to future career options and made me even more excited about flying."

Callie Dennis, Careers Lead at Forest Hall School, observed: "This has been a hugely important day for our students. It opened their eyes to the wide range of careers out there, many of which they probably didn't even know existed."

Future Events

This festival marks the first of three similar events, with additional festivals planned at Manchester Airport in February and East Midlands Airport in March.