How do you build the future workforce your sector needs if young people don’t know the jobs are there?
Young people may know about pilots and cabin crew, but what about aerospace engineers, air traffic controllers or aviation lawyers?
Our new Inspiring Aviation report shows what happens when children and young people have the opportunity to meet people working across a particular sector and discover the range of jobs there are in reality.
Delivered through our Inspiring the Future platform, and funded by the Department for Transport, the campaign reached nearly 200,000 young people in just over two years. The findings show what can be achieved by starting early, with important lessons for other sectors facing similar workforce challenges.
The impact of meeting people from the world of work
Inspiring Aviation set out to help address skills shortages and low awareness among young people of the jobs available across aviation.
Through virtual and in-person activities, young people aged 5 to 18 heard directly from people working in the sector.
The findings show a clear impact. 83% of secondary pupils felt more aware of aviation jobs and career pathways, while 77% encountered at least one aviation job they had never heard of before.
Starting early
The campaign worked with children from primary age through to 18, using virtual and in-person activities to connect young people with people working across aviation.
One of the clearest findings was that lack of interest isn’t necessarily the problem. Young people can be curious about a sector but still rule it out if they don’t understand the jobs, how to get into them or see people like them doing them.
It was really interesting to learn about jobs that you wouldn’t normally think about, like security guards and flight attendants.” Chloe, Year 6
The report found that starting early matters, but so does continuing that engagement as young people get older and begin making decisions about their future.
Lessons for other sectors
Aviation isn’t alone in facing these challenges. Engineering, manufacturing, energy and digital industries are also facing skills shortages, ageing workforces and changing skills needs.
And across sectors, there are jobs young people simply don’t know exist.
The report looks at what Inspiring Aviation can teach other sectors about starting early, challenging stereotypes, reaching schools at scale and giving young people repeated opportunities to meet people doing jobs they may never have considered.
It sets out practical recommendations for organisations looking to build awareness of their sector and develop a stronger future talent pipeline.
Read the report
What can your sector learn from Inspiring Aviation?
Discover what worked, what changed for young people and the practical lessons for sectors looking to engage the next generation and strengthen their future workforce.