BBGA Highlights the Merits of Apprenticeships as Talent Crunch Bites

Apprenticeships, early outreach to schools and work experience placements have a big part to play in addressing the talent crunch that’s biting business aviation, an industry media panel at the recent British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) annual conference emphasized.   

Hunt & Palmer’s Mark Jenkinson, Gama Aviation’s Paul Cremer, Bombardier’s Anna Atkins and Universal’s Jason Hayward all cited positive experiences with trainees and apprentices - but agreed more can be done to promote the variety and longevity of our sector.   

Andrew Middleton, CEO of aviation recruiting firm Zenon, stated that demand for aviation personnel right now is ‘unprecedented.’  Cadet pilot schemes are back, with enticing entry-level offers.  “We know of at least 20 airlines investing in ab initio programmes, including one European legacy carrier offering €15,000 to 200 non-type-rated pilots to put them through all their training on Airbus A220s,” he said.   This comes as Boeing forecasts the need for 674,000 new pilots and 716,000 engineers over the next 10 years.   

Many business aviation businesses have been around a lot longer than some airlines, challenged Gama Aviation’s Head of Delivery Paul Cremer, and history has shown (9/11, financial crisis, Covid) that we are the most resilient industry.  ‘Youngsters think more about commercial airlines than business aviation, yet we offer so much more - Air Ambulance, Special Mission, Aircraft Management and Charter,” he said.

Bombardier has been taking 15 engineering students a year at its London Biggin Hill UK facility for the past four years.  It’s just added another cohort and added a ‘retraining’ programme for individuals with hand skills and mechanical knowledge to help fill skill gaps, plus a military programme to help 10 veterans transition into business aviation.   Now it’s eyeing integrating university engineering graduates – to keep up with its ‘bring your plane home’ MRO demand.

“We are getting known locally for the investment we are making here as one of the big OEMs,” said Anna Atkins, Head of Talent, underlining the importance of tapping into appropriate social media channels for next-gen engagement.  Bombardier Apprentice ambassador Saffah Bashir actively promotes the pathway and recently brought 40 female apprentices together for a workshop with The Women in Engineering Society.

“‘Growing your own’ is important because it’s so much harder for the next gen today,” noted Paul Cremer.  “Youngsters cannot hang around airfields and get immersed in aviation, as we used to. Security, health and safety issues have stopped all that.   

Gama uses the Apprentice Levy to help fund its courses, which cover operations and engineering (80% of practical operations training, 20% classroom.)   The Farnborough-based company is expanding its apprenticeship offers into finance and IT, and also takes industrial placements within its myairops aviation software company - all collaborating with industry training providers.  Widening out its apprentice disciplines reflects its expansion, including the addition of two European AOCs. 

‘Aging Out’

The need for new engineering talent is acute in engineering, considering two-thirds of engineers globally were already aged 45-55 in the year 2000.  Even the youngest are coming up for retirement and that takes out a lot of talent, said Zenon’s Andrew Middleton. The situation is further exacerbated by a historic lack of investment in training and the UK’s exit from the EU and EASA, meaning it’s more difficult (and costly) to hire outside the UK.   Getting back into EASA would help ease the problem, the panel agreed.

Demand for commercial and sales roles is also strong. Andrew Middleton cites that his firm has seen a 38% increase in available roles over 2023.

“We had a full decade without losing one staff member, but the pandemic changed all that,” highlighted Universal Aviation General Manager Jason Hayward.  We developed a whole new approach to recruiting – we’d forgotten how to do it!”   While training for ops and ramp roles can be taught, attaining people skills – vital for an FBO customer-facing role is more difficult.”   Unsurprisingly, a third of Universal’s personnel come from the hospitality/hotel industry.  One came from Premier Inn.  He served Universal for eight years, became a terrific ambassador, progressed to team leader and departed last year to become a pilot for Jet2. 

Likewise, one Gama Aviation staff member joined as an operations assistant and progressed to MD of its Special Missions business unit some years later.

Mark Jenkinson, Company Secretary at Hunt & Palmer, who has been with the firm for 30 years, echoes that training and retention is important. Its renowned ‘team’ approach and commitment to in-house training and mentoring have helped H&P recruit and retain brokers.  “There’s big demand for experienced charter brokers,” acknowledges Mark, who has worked for H&P for 30 years. Mirroring the renumeration situation with pilots and engineers, demand is driving up salaries too – 15% over the 2023 salaries for experienced brokers, which really isn’t sustainable in the long term, he concluded.

What can we do?

BBGA encourages all its members to say ‘YES’ to a school lwork experience request. Because one week can make a difference.