easyJet and leading diversity in aviation youth organisation Fantasy Wings have partnered to provide young people from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and young women aged 13-25 interested in the airline and aviation industries with greater opportunity to launch a career in the industry, through Fantasy Wings’ aviation career development programme.
Chris Brown, Training Captain at easyJet and Fantasy Wings mentor:
“Having been a long-time supporter of Fantasy Wings and seeing the fantastic work they do, we are incredibly proud to be launching this partnership by supporting young people on their aviation career development programme. We look forward to working with the Fantasy Wings team to see more young people from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and young women interested in the airline and aviation industries to grow and excel in a career in aviation.”
To launch the partnership, easyJet is sponsoring places for students from 50 schools across the UK to join the programme, which is designed to equip young people with the necessary tools they need to succeed in the industry and land their first-time role through skills development, practical knowledge training, career mentorship by industry leaders and even flight training.
The launch of the partnership is part of easyJet’s ongoing wider Inclusion and Diversity commitments to create an inclusive culture where people are able to be themselves at work and perform at their best, and to drive a more diverse community within the airline and aviation as a whole.
Fantasy Wings is a UK-based organisation whose mission is to inspire young people who are interested in a career in aviation and grow awareness of the great range of careers of offer, from engineering and operations, to air navigation and of course, flying.
easyJet’s partnership with Fantasy Wings will also provide an opportunity for young people to gain a valuable insight into the airline’s operations through mentoring from current easyJet pilots and sessions with easyJet speakers, building upon existing mentorship commitments of a number of easyJet pilots, who have already been involved in mentoring young people on the Fantasy Wings programme.
The programme focuses on real-life experiences, skills development and networking opportunities that to provide genuine opportunity and career development through training and workshops, that will allow students to excel in the Airline Pilot and Aviation Industry. Students interested in flying also have the opportunity to be selected for a full Private Pilot Licence sponsorship.
The sponsorship will cover the 45 hour private pilot licence course and the examination fee for the selected young people.
Captain David Morgan, easyJet Chief Operating Officer:
“At easyJet, we strongly believe in an inclusive culture for everyone and that our people should reflect the diversity of our customers and the communities where we operate – not only does this make good business sense, it is simply the right thing to do. Ensuring we attract a diverse community of people to join us and that they thrive as part of the easyJet team is crucial and so we are delighted to be launching this partnership with Fantasy Wings and are confident that this will make a positive difference not only for those who join the programme, but for the industry as a whole.
“We hope to see those joining the programme becoming part of the easyJet team in the coming years and are excited for what the future of the easyJet and Fantasy Wings partnership holds.”
This year’s Fantasy Wings programme is due to commence in October 2023 and enrolment will open to students between the ages of 13 and 25 who are based in the UK. Anyone wishing to find out more about the programme can register their interest now at fantasywings.co.uk/register.