The campaign will help deliver training, outreach schemes and opportunities for those looking for a career in the industry, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Generation Aviation is part of a 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 £1.5m announced by the government last summer to boost recruitment into the sector.

In a statement, the DfT said: “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the air transport and aerospace sectors contributed at least £22bn to gross domestic product (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.”

The new campaign will help boost recruitment into the sector by:

• raising awareness of aviation careers, such as through its £700k 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), which has already received £600k 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 the 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. This campaign will see government and industry work together to build a workforce that is open, diverse and accessible,” the government said.

The campaign was launched on 31 October 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.”

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.”

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

The government is also working with Aerobility, a charity helping people with disabilities get into flying, led by Department for Transport director of aviation Ben Smith.

Said Marcus O’Shea, head of fundraising, marketing and communications at Aerobility: “We change lives by providing anyone, with any disability, with access to the magic and wonder of flight. We do this because taking the controls of an aircraft drives a focus on capability and encourages our flyers to ask the question ‘If I can fly an aeroplane, what else can I do?’

“It is our mission to ensure as many people as possible can access the benefits and opportunities provided by the aviation industry, which is why we are delighted to announce the Equal Skies Charter as part of the week’s activities.

Equal Skies will work with the aviation industry to increase accessibility and deliver a more diverse workforce.”

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