CGC Ebook 5.0

Aviation

Sector Outlook The UK has the third largest aviation network in the world and is a global hub for travel with a turnover of £ 90 billion. The industry sector covers airlines, airports and ground operations. Around 600,000 people are employed in air navigation services and the wider suppy chain. They together manage over 247 million passengers a nd transport freight in and out of the UK. The sector expects to grow by 33% over the next 20 years. There are a variety of opportunities for those wanting to work in the sector from operations, finance, maintenance to hospitality and business services. Heathrow Airport has one of the largest employment sites in the United Kingdom with over 76,600 people working within the airport boundary. The expansion of the airport’s third runway could see a further 180,000 jobs created. As with other airports, it generates employment opportunities elsewhere at a local, regional and national level within its supply chain. Recruitment personnel are keen to raise awareness of airport career. Some of the skills needed include polite professionalism, ability to handle pressure, problem solving, IT skills, planning and team work. Many employers offer apprenticeship and graduate programmes. There may be new opportunities with the emerging hybrid air vehicles in engineering or production. Check out www.hybridairvehicles.com. To search for opportunities you can look at aviation magazines, direct career pages with airports or on select websites such as www.aviationjobsearch.com. Growth areas include private airports, regional airport hubs and low cost airlines. Forecasters predict a growing shortage of pilots with only 6% being women. So if you are prepared to pay your way, this may be worth considering. If you are interested in engineering check out the opportunities at companies such as BAE, GKN or Rolls-Royce.