EasyJet has launched its new Summer Flight School for kids to inspire the next generation of aviators.
What did you do over the summer holidays? For some kids this can be a tough question. But here’s the chance to grab a golden ticket and fly a plane for free.
In a money-can’t-buy Willy Wonka-style competition – where you don’t even have to shell out on chocolate bars – easyJet is offering complimentary places at flight school for seven to 12 year olds.
If you know any tiny aviation fans who would like to swap making paper planes for a stint in the cockpit, then sign up now.
EasyJet announces Summer Flight School for kids
Airline easyJet has today announced it is launching a new Summer Flight School. It’s designed to inspire more young people to consider a career in aviation.
Children and their parents are invited to go behind the scenes at easyJet’s state-of-the-art training centre. There, they’ll experience exciting hands-on pilot and cabin crew training. It’ll be hosted by real pilots and crew.
Following research that found nearly two fifths (37%) of primary school children believe flying a plane is a job exclusively for men, the initiative hopes to combat career stereotypes.
The first-of-its-kind event by the airline will offer children the opportunity to take the controls of an Airbus A320 flight simulator. There, they will learn what it takes to provide the best inflight service to passengers as Cabin Crew. Children will also be able to quiz easyJet pilots, including female captain Kate McWilliams, about how to become high-fliers.
Breaking gender stereotypes
EasyJet launched the initiative after a poll of 2,000 British parents and their children found that two thirds (66%) of British parents still believe there are misconceptions that being a pilot is a job for men rather than women. It also found that most parents (86%) believe that gender stereotypes of jobs start at primary school age.
Around three quarters (72%) of female adult respondents said that when they were a child, they believed only men could be pilots. Meanwhile nearly two thirds of men (63%) said they never considered a role as cabin crew due to their gender.
Now, over two thirds (68%) of girls surveyed said they believed both boys and girls could be a pilot. This indicates a positive shift in attitudes compared to the previous generation.
Jobs for the boys and girls!
However, with over a quarter of boys (28%) still believing that cabin crew is exclusively a job for women and the same proportion of girls believing being a pilot a job for just boys, there is still clearly work to be done. EasyJet is now trying to correct these perceptions.
Summer Flight School is the latest initiative from easyJet as part of the airline’s ongoing work to drive greater diversity within areas in the industry that still face a significant gender imbalance. This is particularly true for pilots and cabin crew.
With still around only 6% of pilots worldwide being women, easyJet has been focused on tackling this industry-wide gender imbalance for a number of years. As a result, it has nearly tripled the number of female pilots in its ranks since 2015.
Over half of children (51%) said they never seen a female pilot. So, alongside recruitment campaigns to attract more women and people from diverse backgrounds to the career, the airline’s Pilot School Visits programme has seen female and male pilots presenting to hundreds of schools up and down the country. The hope is to show it’s a job for everyone.
Free fun during the six-week holidays
By providing a unique and immersive free experience blending fun, education and hands-on activities, the airline hopes its Summer Flight School will inspire a new generation of aviators. It also hopes to help the 87% of parents who said they struggle to find low cost or free experiences for children during the holidays.
Over 92% parents believe ‘edutainment’ is important when it comes to planning a family day out. These are activities that provide the opportunity for their kids to learn something new, as well as being fun. As a result, over half (54%) specifically want something that would spark a new interest for their children.
The majority of primary school-aged children agreed that the chance fly a plane was the most exciting thing they could experience during the summer holidays (70%). Meanwhile, half (50%) admitted being a pilot or cabin crew when they were older would be a dream job.
EasyJet ‘delighted’ with Summer Flight School launch
Jane Storm, Chief People Officer for easyJet said the airline was leading the industry in tackling diversity: “We’re delighted to be taking families behind the scenes with our new Summer Flight School. We hope to offer a unique and exciting day out during the school holidays. We also hope it will inspire the next generation of pilots and cabin crew and show young people that their aspirations don’t have to be limited by outdated stereotypes, and help broaden their horizons.
It is a long-term focus for easyJet. We will continue to lead the industry on this issue.
“Increasing diversity in all of its forms across our airline and creating an inclusive environment where people can be themselves at work is incredibly important to us. It is a long-term focus for easyJet. We will continue to lead the industry on this issue.”
Captain Kate on becoming a pilot
EasyJet Training Captain Kate West said: “At school I was told that being a pilot wasn’t a suitable career option for me. So I know from first-hand experience how important it is to challenge these misconceptions. We know they can start from a young age.
“Role models and awareness of our jobs as pilots and crew are such an important part of this. So I’m delighted that our Summer Flight School will give children that opportunity this summer. And even their first taste of flying an aircraft!”
EasyJet’s Summer Flight School takes off from August 21 at easyJet’s London Gatwick training centre. Places are available to book for free from Monday August 7 here.
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