London Gatwick celebrates reaching half a million students through education and skills initiatives during work experience week
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London Gatwick is committed to developing future talent through education and outreach initiatives
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Since 2021, the airport has reached more than 540,000 students through its Decade of Change strategy
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London Gatwick welcomed the 5,000th visitor to its dedicated STEM Centre in June
London Gatwick celebrated engaging with half a million students through its education and skills initiatives – a major milestone in its commitment to inspiring the next generation. It comes as the airport welcomed 28 local schoolchildren for its second annual work experience week from 7–11 July.
The group of year 10 students (aged 14–15) from seven local schools took part in a packed programme that showcased the variety of careers available at the airport, from airfield operations and engineering to retail, finance and sustainability.
Throughout the week, students went onto the airfield and saw the world’s most efficient single runway in action and went behind the scenes to explore the engineering and operational infrastructure that keeps the airport running. They also joined the biodiversity team on a habitat walk to learn how London Gatwick manages its local environment.
In partnership with construction company Mace, the group visited the live building site at Pier 6, gaining valuable insight into the wide range of construction careers across the supply chain, as well as apprenticeship opportunities at the UK’s second busiest airport.
The programme also focused on soft skills development, with activities including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) based workshops, group presentations and interactive Q&A panels with London Gatwick employees from a range of departments including Innovation, Legal and Passenger Operations.
Since launching its second Decade of Change sustainability strategy in 2021, London Gatwick has reached more than 540,000 students through internships, in-school sessions, virtual careers live broadcasts and visits to its on-site STEM Centre, which recently celebrated its 5,000th visitor in June.
The airport is committed to reaching one million student engagements by 2030, helping to inspire and equip the next generation with the skills and confidence to pursue careers in aviation and beyond.
Mark Johnston, Chief Operating Officer at London Gatwick, said: “We were delighted to welcome so many young people behind the scenes for work experience, giving them first-hand insight into the scale and complexity of our airport operations. Across the airport, we offer roles that combine variety, development and meaningful collaboration across teams stakeholders, providing opportunities to engage and grow a diverse talent pipeline.
“Through our education outreach and early career programmes, we will continue to invest in the next generation of aviators who will help shape London Gatwick’s future as we continue to grow. Reaching more than half a million student encounters is a milestone moment and one we are excited to build on as we work towards our goal of one million encounters by 2030.”
Year 10 student, The Gatwick School, Crawley said: “This is the best work experience opportunity for any student in Year 10 because you can see multiple jobs at the airport rather than just focusing on one if you don’t know what you want to do in the future.”
Year 10 student, The Forest School, Horsham said: "I learnt about all the different career paths that are in the airport – there are so many opportunities to look at. I had not found the career path that I was looking for until I came here and may have found what I was looking for at London Gatwick."
For more information on careers at London Gatwick:
Visit London Gatwick’s education webpage (Education with Gatwick | London Gatwick Airport) to explore resources and information on airport’s STEM Centre, Employment, Skills and Business Strategy (ESBS), and Second Decade of Change sustainability goals.
The STEM Centre is available for schools, colleges, and organisations to book for STEM-related events. To find out more or make a booking, please contact STEM@gatwickairport.com.
London Gatwick Future Careers pack
London Gatwick Career Cards
A resource pack of cards with information about roles and skills / qualifications required: GatwickCareersPack.pdf (gatwickairport.com)
Learn Live – Careers Live Broadcasts
We produce free to view 30min monthly broadcasts for the Careers Live channel which can be accessed here: London Gatwick Careers & Jobs | Careers Live | Contact Us Today (careersliveuk.com).
These cover a wide range of roles/teams and themes across the airport and feature interviews with diverse colleagues. Students can ask questions in a live chat (written and off-camera) when the broadcast first airs and afterwards all broadcasts are available to watch on demand.
Work experience placements are secured through an application process run in partnership with local schools. Spaces are limited, and the application window opens annually in April.
The students who took part in work experience came from the below schools:
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Oakwood School, Horley
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The Gatwick School, Crawley
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Ifield Community College, Crawley
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St Wilfrid’s, Crawley
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The Forest School, Horsham
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Warden Park Academy, Haywards Heath
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Hillview School for Girls, Tonbridge
With 43 million annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top ten airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5 billion GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). Almost 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared capacity of 55 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.
The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15 million people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2 billion sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.
VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.
For more information:
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, is a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With energy pragmatism central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition.
GIP’s scaled platform has over $170 billion in assets under management. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our clients’ capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com.
