LONDON: British Airways has revealed it’s offering a new style of work experience – this time for teachers, not pupils.
The airline has already received huge demand for the one-day work experience sessions and is urging teachers to apply now for one of the limited number of spaces still available.
Teacher Take-Off
The new programme, called ‘Teacher Take-Off’, sees teachers being invited into a number of departments across the airline, including British Airways’ operations centre, its engineering bays and airport terminals.
Teachers from London, Glasgow and Cardiff will bring this first-hand experience of the aviation industry back to their classrooms and incorporate it into lessons, providing their pupils with real-life working examples of topics they are learning in the classroom.
Teachers play a huge role in shaping children’s career aspirations. Through this innovative programme, British Airways continues its mission to highlight to young people, both male and female, the broad range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers available at the airline.
The initiative is on top of the airline’s traditional work experience programme. This year more than 600 children have taken part in week-long placements including 10,000 hours of mentoring in areas around the business from Engineering, Flight Operations and Customer Service at Heathrow, Gatwick, Cardiff and Glasgow.
British Airways’ Community Education Manager, Mel Kose, said: “It’s so important that children learn how exciting it is to be part of the aviation industry – and that there are really interesting roles available to them across a broad spectrum of areas when they leave school, college or university. This year, with our Teacher Take-Off project, we’re turning the way we think about work experience on its head, and getting teachers involved, as we know one great teacher can inspire so many students.”
Teachers wishing to apply for a place on the Teacher Take-Off programme can apply here.
Gold Standard
The airline’s work experience programme has been awarded Gold status by Fair Train, the leading work experience accreditation body, backed by Ofsted and the Department for Education, recognising that students are getting the very best experience when they spend time at British Airways.
Shivani Godhania, 16, who recently completed a work experience placement in British Airways’ Flight Operations department, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my work experience because I was able to engage with experts within an industry that I would love to work in, and gain invaluable information that will help me stand out from other candidates.”
“My most memorable moment was when I had a go at flying the amazing Boeing 777 simulator with the help of two pilots. This opportunity has further ignited my passion for flight and I hope to pursue a career with British Airways as a pilot in the future.” News Desk
