'A real buzz' as hundreds of students attend London Gatwick's Apprentice Fair

The airport welcomed around 250 students from across Sussex and Surrey, as well as adult visitors from Job Centre Plus and other organisations and they were able to talk to 15 companies including Jacobs, Skybreak and Border Force about what they have to offer in terms of apprenticeships.

Students from The Gatwick School, Oriel, Croydon College, Crawley College and other educational establishments visited the STEM Centre and found out about the various roles available to do them and how they can learn on the job as a different option to University.

And Alison Addy, Head of External Engagement and Policy at London Gatwick, said there was ‘a real buzz’ as the enthusiastic students talked to the companies.

Applications for London Gatwick’s four-year Engineering Apprenticeships open on Monday, February 17 and Alison was keen to highlight the importance of the roles and how many opportunities there are at London Gatwick.

She said: “There is a real buzz here today. We're at the London Gatwick STEM Centre and over the course of today we're expecting 250 local students and job seekers. We've got 15 employers here, all here to tell students about the Apprenticeship opportunities. That includes our own engineering team. We've got applications opening next week for our Engineering Apprenticeship, as well as an IT Apprenticeship, which is two years.

“What I love about today is that we can showcase the fact that across Gatwick Airport there are so many different opportunities to build careers and actually what we say at London Gatwick in terms of our own vision, and particularly for passengers, is that we're the airport for everyone, whatever your journey.

"And I love the fact that that can apply to your career as well. So today we've got Network Rail, we've got Border Force, we've got restaurant and bar apprenticeships in hospitality. We've just been talking to Mace who are working on one of the big construction projects, the Pier 6 project at Gatwick, and there are massive opportunities and ambitions they've got in order to inspire students about the careers that they can have in construction.” And often when students think about construction they think about the building part of it, but actually there are so many different roles involved in planning and designing and managing these types of projects, and obviously working at an airport environment, it's such a buzzy place to be, but it makes it really attractive.”

The airport is currently awaiting a decision from the Minister of Transport about their £2.2 billion Northern Runway plans. The decision is due at the end of this month and if it gets the green light, it could create 14,000 additional jobs across the region, adding a further £1 billion to the regional economy.

And this would create more apprenticeship opportunities. Alison said: “As part of the Northern Runway application, we have put together an employment skills and business strategy, so that actually shows how we will work with local partners, local schools, across not just education and skills, but through the construction supply chain, through procurement, innovation, we've got a whole theme on innovation, and also how to promote the region and make sure that everything we do in the way that we grow the airport over the coming years.

"We're making sure that we're doing everything we can to work alongside the local community and local partners to ensure that there's a really thriving and resilient economy that benefits everybody, and that's the role that London Gatwick can play in really sort of bringing that benefit to the region.”

Crawley MP Peter Lamb was also also at the event and he reiterated there are so many opportunities at the airport. “I think it's brilliant, apprenticeships really provide kids with an alternative route into work and into education,” he said: “A degree's not for everyone, and that shouldn't necessarily be for everyone. If you want to do something that's hands-on, if you want to get into employment more quickly, there are so many things we need people to be doing at the moment. I mean, one area alone that we're talking to here is about construction. There's a desperate need for construction skills. If we don't get kids into construction, this country is going to grind to an absolute halt, so it's great to see so much enthusiasm from the kids about trying to take a different approach to their education.

“You can do pretty much everything you might want to put your mind to. There are so many opportunities. So many parts of the country are unlucky in terms of opportunities. If you live in Crawley, if you're growing up in Crawley, you've got so many opportunities right on your doorstep. Do look around, shop around, find something that works for you. The world is your oyster. Everyone in Crawley has either worked at the airport or someone in

“I want to see local kids from Crawley having the best shot at life and this is one way of doing that.”

Jamie is a first year apprentice at the airport and he is enjoying the opportunity. “Before I found the apprenticeship, I was doing building work, which was good, but I knew I wanted to do practical work but not in construction, and I came across the apprenticeship online, and I was able to come and do a week's work experience, and I really enjoyed it. So I just applied, and then I got it really. It's good having schools in to see what they can do, because I don't think when you're in school, you don't get stuff like this. You don't get shown to. You don't know what's available, so to come and see things like this, it's helpful. I would say apply for it. Just try it,

“If you like practical work, it is definitely a good thing to do, and it is so different, so much different things you can get involved in, so I highly, highly recommend it.”