Tag Archives: Aviation

Aerospace, News, Training, Travel

SkyPeople Training soars as it helps aviation industry tackle cabin crew shortage

A specialist training provider is seeing demand take off as it helps the aviation industry tackle a huge global shortage of cabin crew.

According to Canadian flight crew training company CAE’s 2023 Aviation Talent Forecast, almost 600,000 cabin crew staff will be needed globally over the next 10 years.

Ryanair alone has unveiled plans to recruit 10,000 staff over the next decade as it expands its fleet with hundreds of new aircraft.

SkyPeople Training has seen dramatic growth in demand this year for the hands-on programmes it runs for students from colleges and universities across the UK which are educating the next generation of cabin crew.

So far in 2024, SkyPeople Training has worked with more than 40 UK colleges and universities and more than 25 airlines across the UK and Europe. The number of college and university students attending its sessions so far this year is approaching 1,000 and has nearly trebled compared with the same period in 2023.

SkyPeople Training, which delivers courses across the UK and internationally, has expanded its bespoke aviation training academy in Manchester as a result of the increase in student numbers attending the facility, where it also provides training for existing cabin crew and pilots employed by passenger and cargo airlines worldwide.

Its training includes theory and practical sessions on how to tackle a number of emergency situations on board, such as firefighting, smoke-filled cabins and evacuations.

It has recently added a new classroom at its academy as well as a mid-exit door for the Boeing 737 Max jet, with an entire replica Boeing 737 flight deck due to come later in the year.

The business is accredited by the Civil Aviation Authority as a cabin crew training organisation and security training provider, with a rating of ‘outstanding’.

This accreditation enables SkyPeople Training to provide the Attestation of Initial Cabin Crew safety training. All cabin crew working on UK-registered aircraft must possess the qualification.

SkyPeople Training also supports airlines by developing their training manuals, designing their training courses and delivering the product directly to their crew.

It has won recognition from industry experts in crew training, with invitations to deliver keynote speeches at events in the United States, Portugal and Vietnam.

Mike Lawson, SkyPeople’s training, project and outreach manager, said aspiring cabin crew benefit greatly from the hands-on experience they gain at the company’s academy.

“Recruitment is a significant challenge for airlines, and our academy is helping them to plug the gaps in their workforce,” he said.

“There’s an evolution in the way cabin crew training is delivered, shifting towards being competency-based. Historically, entrants had to take a paper examination and undergo an assessment.

“Hands-on experience is now seen as an increasingly necessary part of the curriculum for students looking to embark on their cabin crew careers. Providing that in our academy helps get the students ready for a professional working environment.

“This type of practical training is also beneficial for those already working in the industry who are seeking to gain the Cabin Crew Attestation or looking to grow in their careers.

“It’s an attractive career that provides long-term, meaningful opportunities. Our track record over more than a decade, combined with the recent additional facilities at the academy, means we are in a strong position to help bridge the gap between education and industry.

“Our close ties with a number of leading carriers enables us to help students find cabin crew roles once they successfully complete their courses, as they can register their interest in jobs that become available through our links with airlines.

“In 2023, we mentored a group of final-year aviation management students at Manchester Metropolitan University, getting them industry-ready and linking them to employment opportunities.

“In addition, this June we will be hosting our second Travel & Tourism, Aviation and Cabin Crew Lecturers Conference, which will be an opportunity for college lecturers from across the UK to join us for a day of CPD training delivered by ourselves and our airline partners, including Aer Lingus UK, British Airways and Ryanair’s recruitment partner Cabin Crew International.

“The recent investment to expand the academy demonstrates our confidence in the future of the business and our commitment to providing the most up-to-date training to enhance safety and competence across the industry.

“We’re extremely proud of our facility, which through continuous improvement we believe makes it the best independently-owned training centre of its kind in the UK, if not Europe.”

Donna Feeny, Head of Travel, Food and Drink at Leeds City College, said: “Our strong employer partnership with SkyPeople allows our students to experience first- class industry training. The skills they learn during their training fosters a seamless transition into a career in aviation.”

SkyPeople, which has eight permanent team members and a flexible network of 80 trainers, was acquired last year by Manchester-headquartered EDM, which manufactures and assembles training simulators for sectors including civil aviation, defence and rail industries.

Careers, News

High-flyers: five careers in aviation that don’t require a pilot’s licence

A career in aviation is a dream for many aircraft and aerospace enthusiasts. While becoming a pilot is high on the agenda for most people, the aviation industry has a plethora of potential employment positions to choose from that offer interesting and exciting careers.

Here, we round up a few of the lesser-known roles and explain what makes them great long-term career opportunities.

Aircraft maintenance engineer

Regular aircraft maintenance is imperative to making sure planes are operating safely. Aircraft maintenance engineers or mechanics are responsible for checking the systems on aeroplanes in between flights to ensure they are fit to fly. It’s a highly skilled job with a great deal of responsibility. Successful candidates will need to have meticulous attention to detail and obtain specific qualifications as well as a special licence from the CAA granting them permission to operate.

There are two types of maintenance: line maintenance, such as pre-flight checks and refuelling, and base maintenance work, which is undertaken in an aircraft hangar and involves more complex checks and diagnoses.

You can choose to work in one of two areas: mechanics or avionics. Mechanics involves servicing the fuselage, engines, landing gear and airframe systems as well as any associated electrics. Alternatively, avionics covers the electronic systems that power the navigation, communications and flight control systems.

Jobs are available in the commercial and private sectors as well as the military. Engineers are required to work on rotating shifts, so it is likely that you will need to work weekends and overnight as part of the shift pattern.

Becoming an aircraft maintenance engineer takes lots of time and dedication and you will need to obtain relevant engineering qualifications. If you excel in maths, physics and technology subjects, like engineering science, and enjoy problem solving this could be the career for you.

Component sourcing account manager

Aircraft maintenance managers and engineers need to find replacement parts from somewhere. Time is critical – while an aircraft remains on the ground, it isn’t earning. This is where component sourcing solutions companies, like Artemis Aerospace, come in.

Tom Shadbolt supports lessors and investors with their aircraft component supplies and repairs needs. He has worked at Artemis Aerospace for eight years. He explains more about his day-to-day work:

“My job is a huge balancing act of making sure I meet the needs of multiple customers and their, often very short, deadlines each day. For lessors and investors, they are usually preparing aircraft to be moved on to the next airline so the window of time to undertake a project is usually quite small – while their aircraft isn’t leased, it means they are losing money! It pays to be extremely organised, and I often need to think fast.

“I will start my day by picking up on all the requests that have come in overnight. This can be anything from basic switches to cabin interiors, hydraulic components or critical computing and indication systems. With the support of my team, we then get to work sourcing these parts using our global network of suppliers and preparing quotes. Meanwhile, I am managing other ongoing projects to ensure my customers get their aircraft delivered on time. Every day, I get ad hoc requests due to new discoveries made by maintenance teams.”

Tom, who formerly worked in administration for a pharmaceutical company, says it is a great job with so much opportunity to progress: “I didn’t have any experience in aircraft parts before I joined Artemis. I came in on day one and learned completely on the job.”

Logistics is also a really important element of the role.

“I am often having to work out the best, most cost-effective as well as fastest solution to get parts from one place to another,” said Tom.

Why does Tom enjoy his job so much? “It’s so varied and fast-paced – it’s certainly diverse with new things happening every day! I also take great pleasure in helping my customers and doing the very best I can for them. It’s always a real achievement when another project has been completed and an aircraft has been moved on to its new home.”

Flight simulator support

Flight simulators are essential for airlines. Pilots need to maintain regular training, keep up to date with aircraft revisions and undertake first time training for new aircraft models. This means simulators must operate 24/7 to ensure pilots can access them for these vital training requirements.

Dan Frith works with Tom at Artemis as sales director of flight simulator support. Prior to joining the company six years ago, Dan worked as an export sales manager distributing car parts. He said:

“I manage customers with simulator operations all over the world covering numerous time zones. My day usually starts with checking my requests from Asia – this means I can make sure I respond before they finish their working day or start the next.

“Many are requesting replacement parts for simulators, while others are wanting whole renovations. Simulators are built for each specific aircraft type, so, as well as the more common jets such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing B737, I also take care of simulators for private jets too. These are much more niche and might require extensive research and insight to successfully source parts.

“I am currently putting a quote together to create a whole new simulator for a model of private jet that hasn’t long been in circulation. Many sims are built using reconditioned parts from old aircraft and must precisely replicate what the pilot will experience inside a working flight deck, so the newer the model of aircraft the more difficult it becomes to source things like redundant cockpits.”

As part of his duties, Dan will regularly travel overseas to specialist shows and exhibitions to meet potential clients and catch up with existing customers.

“I travel one to two times a month on average. It’s a great part of the job if you like getting out of the office, meeting people and showing what you have to offer.”

Aircraft technical manager

Most aircraft are owned by leasing companies and investment funds. A specialist aviation asset management company will manage an aircraft portfolio on behalf of owners, providing expert advice to maximise value and minimise risk.

The role of aircraft technical manager involves managing the parts, services and costs involved in maintaining an aircraft across its lifetime, from acquisition to disposal. Aircraft technical managers will also be responsible for arranging lease agreements with airlines who want to utilise available aircraft as part of their fleet.

Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers are the eyes and ears on the ground for pilots, providing them with information and advice to help them take off and land safely on time.

There are three types of air traffic controller: area controller, approach controller and aerodrome controller. Area controllers track and guide aircraft at different altitudes in various sectors and regions. Approach controllers manage aircraft as they approach and take-off from an airport. Aerodrome controllers work in tower control, giving clearance to land and take off as well as guiding pilots to the correct taxi positions on stands and runways.

Excellent concentration, judgement, problem-solving and decision-making skills are all essential for this role. Jobs can be obtained via an apprenticeship or trainee scheme.

News

Lockdown Norms and Staff Crunch: UK Hospitality Sector Faces Fresh Challenges

After struggling with three national lockdowns since the pandemic broke out, the UK has gradually opened the economy. Bars and restaurants began welcoming customers from 12 April onwards, and indoor dining is expected to open from 17 May. The Covid-19 pandemic ravaged businesses, especially the ones in the hospitality and aviation sectors. Global travel restrictions and social distancing norms crippled both sectors.

The hospitality sector is expecting that the pent-up demand and a UK-oriented holiday season would help the sector to revive with a profitable summer season.

But as the industry is gearing up for recovery of the businesses, staff crunch is the biggest challenge the sector is facing. Job losses in the sector during the lockdown forced workers to leave their jobs and look for jobs in other sectors. The crisis is so pressing that most establishments are struggling to hire enough workers, due to which, plans to fully operationalize by May might fall apart.

Restaurants and pubs have said that as many as a quarter of those who were employed before the Covid-19 pandemic may not return owing to the uncertainties. Besides post-Brexit, the challenge pertains mainly to the lack of availability of skilled labor from the EU, which is causing hiring issues, specifically in the kitchen.

UK workforce in the hospitality sector before the Brexit comprised mainly overseas workers, including those from the EU. But a major chunk of them have left England last year, and there is no clarity on whether they would be back any time soon.

The listed restaurant operator, Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) lost 9,000 of its 39,000 staff in the last year. The restaurant owner D&D is looking to hire as many as 400 new hands to add to its total workforce of 1,300. Pizza Express laid off thousands of its employees in the last year and is now looking to hire 1,000 staff.

A report by Fitch Ratings has said that restaurants, pubs, hotels, and restaurants would have to bear additional costs of both hiring and training new employees, which would impact margins in the short term. According to the report, prior to the Brexit, EU nationals comprised 12 percent of the UK’s hospitality workforce.

The report pointed out that the staff crunch was not even across the sector. Establishments like Whitbread that employ directly, would likely have more employees returning to work than those who hire part-time or through staff agencies. It said that the crunch would be felt more in London and other big cities, as they hired more foreign workers than remote joints, which depend on local communities would remain less affected.

Though venue owners expect huge demand after a year but if opening hours are limited due to staff shortage and therefore, it might impact revenues. A recruitment website highlighted that vacancies on its website were up by over 85 percent in the last couple of weeks. About 22,000 roles are now being advertised. Data from the Office for National Statistics suggest that the hospitality sector has 355,000 vacancies compared to a year ago. About 3.2 million were employed in the sector before the pandemic.

UK businesses were severely impacted by the pandemic. The easing of lockdown norms was supposed to help businesses get back on their feet. The hospitality sector is one of the biggest employment generators. If the staffing crisis is not resolved soon, it would not only defeat the purpose of easing norms, it would also impact revenues in a big way.

Written by Kunal Sawhney, CEO, Kalkine Group. For more information: https://kalkinemedia.com/uk

Engagement, HR News

Employee Appreciation Day: why we think it makes good business sense

David Wheeler, Head of Learning & Development, ABM Aviation UK explains why Employee Appreciation Day works for their organisation:

Research clearly shows that in businesses like ours, one of the first steps to delivering enhanced customer experience is to engage employees and energise them by recognising and sharing examples of great service delivery and positive customer feedback.

A 2017 report from CX experts the Medallia Institute highlighted the importance of involving team members. The report states that “employees are highly accurate in their assessments of customer satisfaction and the quality of their company’s service delivery. If you give them more opportunities to share their insights and suggestions, you’ll be far better equipped to understand and respond to your customers.” *

The teams on the ‘front line’ with direct customer experience can provide great insight and feedback on how they feel their own performance could be improved.

Research also clearly supports the argument that the morale and engagement of employees directly impact customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction directly impacts how well companies perform – a point which management consultancy Bain & Co has been making for many years.

Maurice Fitzgerald, former VP of Customer Experience for HP and HPE’s $4bn software division, says “in high-touch businesses” – ones where direct employee-customer contact is high – “variations in employee satisfaction explain 16.8% of the variations in customer satisfaction. Among well-represented industries, the nine hotel chains top the list at 61.8%, followed by 17 supermarket chains at 49.1%.”

ABM Aviation UK is very definitely a “high touch” business; we provide front-line airport services such as Welcome Team Ambassadors, Passengers with Reduced Mobility Services (PRM) and travel retail and experiential staffing through our Blackjack Promotions division. Our experience is that engaged and motivated employees contribute in a big way to customer experience.

Customer services companies – a category I would include ABM in – need to be talking to their staff and their customers, to find out what both groups think are important and what both groups think the company is doing well and needs improvement

It’s also incredibly important to thank team members and reward them for doing an outstanding job, because if they feel part of the family, this will be reflected in their daily interactions. According to a study conducted by Robert Half, the third most important contributing factor to the happiness of UK employees is ‘feeling appreciated’.

The majority (79%) of the 24,000 working professionals from eight countries surveyed said it was an equal balance between employer and employee as to who is primarily responsible for employee happiness. However, when it comes to showing team members they are appreciated, we think it is key that senior figures in our organisation are able to demonstrate their recognition of outstanding work done throughout our divisions and seniority levels.

At ABM Aviation UK, we have a variety of ways to thank our team members. For example, since 2012 we have the 110% Club program that recognises employees who have really gone ‘above and beyond’ in delivering services. Those who score most highly in our quarterly celebration are rewarded with trips to interesting and glamourous locations.

Last month we hosted our most recent 110% Club Legendary Service awards, where 15 individuals were recognised for their contributions. The awards are an opportunity to put the spotlight on the varied departments in our organisation – and the people powering them. As we’re on the subject of Employee Appreciation, here are a couple of examples from our team used at the recent awards which I’d like to share…

Aishah Davies joined ABM Aviation UK as part of our supported Internship programme in June 2019, as a passenger service agent in Heathrow Terminal 2. Aishah has always shown an enthusiasm for her role and as she says herself, “I now get to live and breathe my passion of helping people every day”. Aishah was also highlighted recently at a Heathrow Employment & Skills Academy event where her good work and dedication was discussed in front of Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye and Lord David Blunkett, as well as many other representatives from companies working within Heathrow. Aishah’s employee journey was used to demonstrate how well Heathrow and ABM work together to inspire and help young adults into full-time employment through the Internship Programme.

As well as encouraging younger team members in their early career successes, it is as important to recognise the continued service of longer-serving staff. Happiness and interest at work decline with age, while stress increases as more responsibility is given, and as the Robert Half report states, “manager’s moods are contagious”. As Google research concluded this week, “managers not only matter, but they can significantly influence the performance of their teams”.

Wayne Saunders has worked with us since 2018. He currently holds the position of Heathrow Terminal 2 PRM Manager and has been a huge asset across a number of contracts and, indeed, different terminals at different airports since joining us. In December 2019, Saunders did a fantastic job as stand in General Manager of PRM services in Heathrow T2 when Robert Rabbetts was on leave. We were delighted to consolidate the numerous compliments and acknowledgments we received from the wider team by awarding him at the 110% club Legendary Service ceremony.

The workforce of every organisation and industry will face unique blockers to employee happiness, some personal, some systemic; as employers it is important to recognise the factors we can control. One commonality is this: teams who know their work will be seen and appreciated are far more likely to engage with their work and contribute to your organisational aims.