In partnership with the Air League, Tees Valley Careers is providing aspiring pilots, engineers and students interested in careers in travel and aviation with the skills to succeed.
With funding from Dept of Transport, The Air League’s Soaring to Success Programme has been working with local students from Northshore Academy and Our Lady & St Bede School in Stockton, Laurence Jackson Academy and Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough and Middlesbrough College. The students took part in a series of virtual workshops delivered by the Civil Aviation Authority, BAE Systems, Eagle Eye Innovations Ltd and Boeing as well as a number of individual pilots giving their personal advice to students.
The programme ended with students enjoying a real life flying experience in a glider. The students learnt all about how gliders work, different types of cloud and thermal lift. They learnt about the different roles required to run an airport and the variety of careers in aviation and aerospace as well as the career paths they can take. They also discussed what the future priorities are for airlines and the industry and new developments in the industry in the fields of cyber security and sustainability.
The students then got to take off from the Yorkshire Gliding Club at Sutton bank and enjoy the experience of flight, some of the brave ones even got to take over the controls from the instructor.
“I was really nervous and apprehensive at first but once I got up in the air it was really enjoyable and I’ve learnt a lot about the importance of weather and communication which all fits in with what I’m learning at college. This has been such a treat and taught me to step out of my comfort zone more often” Mille, L2 Aviation Student at Middlesbrough College.
” I don’t think there are any words to describe how awesome that was. I was thinking about a career in communications but aeronautical engineering is definitely worth considering now” Student from Our Lady & St Bede School.
The activity meets Gatsby benchmark 4 – linking the curriculum to careers, as the workshops, talks and demonstrations covered curriculum content and also Gatsby benchmark 5 – encounters with employers.
Air League are a charity, set up in 1909, to promote careers in the industry, change lives, break down barriers to working in the industry and inspire young people into STEM roles. They have contacts with major businesses in aviation and engineering and have funding from Dept of Transport to deliver the “Soaring to Success” programme which they delivered in Tees Valley for the first time in 2021. They also offer scholarships and bursaries to young people who are considering a career in aviation. https://www.airleague.co.uk/
Image credits: Sam Gervais
