Daughters Invited to the Flight Deck by easyJet on Mother’s Day

To coincide with both Mother's Day and British Science Week 2023, easyJet has launched a new partnership with the organization Fantasy Wings.

The partnership aims to encourage young women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds to pursue careers in aviation. As a part of this initiative, easyJet invited daughters of their female employees to join their mothers at work, aiming to inspire the upcoming generation of aviation professionals. This event is scheduled in advance of Mother's Day weekend, which falls on Sunday, March 19th, and aligns with British Science Week, taking place from March 10th to March 19th, 2023.

To promote aviation careers to girls and encourage more women to enter STEM fields, easyJet organized an event where mothers and daughters teamed up across the company in collaboration with Fantasy Wings. Fantasy Wings is a UK-based organization with a mission to inspire young people interested in aviation careers and create awareness of the diverse range of jobs in this field. This initiative is a part of the airline's effort to raise awareness of STEM career opportunities in the aviation industry where women are underrepresented.

In addition to this, easyJet is offering apprenticeship programs in Engineering, IT, Data, and Artificial Intelligence, as well as Graduate Programs in Engineering and Finance, and a well-established pilot training program for young people.

EasyJet is continuing its efforts to challenge traditional gender stereotypes in aviation careers with its latest initiative. The airline invited daughters of its female employees to join their mothers at work, with the goal of encouraging more young women to consider aviation careers. This event aims to promote inclusivity and demonstrate to young people that all jobs in aviation are open to everyone, regardless of gender.

According to research conducted for National Apprenticeship Week, recent trends indicate that it would take until 2044 (22 years from now) for the number of women starting STEM apprenticeships to match that of men. This research has prompted easyJet's latest initiative, which aims to encourage more young women to consider apprenticeships and careers in STEM fields.

In honor of Mother's Day 2023, several successful parents at easyJet decided to take their daughters on a tour of their workplace, hoping to encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Debbie Thomas, an EasyJet First Officer, brought her ten-year-old daughter Harriet to the London Luton Airport, where she received a guided tour of the flight deck of an Airbus A320-200 aircraft - Debbie's place of work. Furthermore, Harriet was given the opportunity to make a passenger announcement using the aircraft's public address system.

Excited about the experience of going with her mum onto the flight deck of an A320, Harriet mentioned:

"It was so fun to see my mum at her work. I think her job is amazing which is why I want to be a pilot just like her when I grow up"

In the airline's main office, seven-year-old Amaryllis accompanied her mother Nikoletta, who is a qualified physicist, to work in the Data Analysis team at easyJet. During the day, they delved into the responsibilities of a Senior Data Analyst and analyzed baggage data and trends, interacted with coworkers from various departments, and participated in meetings.

Another daughter, Nikolleta, says:

"This was a brilliant and important opportunity to bring Amaryllis to work with me and show her what a job in Data is all about. With fewer women than men starting STEM apprenticeships in the last year and research even showing that that number is falling compared to previous years, it’s critical to raise awareness of the incredible variety of jobs available in the industry and in those STEM roles from a young age.”

EasyJet has an ongoing commitment to support early careers and is actively engaged in several initiatives to promote career opportunities in the aviation sector, particularly among groups that are currently underrepresented in the industry.

Recently, the airline partnered with the youth organization Fantasy Wings to promote diversity in aviation by providing young women and individuals from black, Asian, and minority ethnic backgrounds with greater access to the aviation industry through a career development program. As part of the collaboration, EasyJet is sponsoring students from 50 schools across the UK to participate in the program, which is tailored to equip young people with the necessary skills to excel in the industry.

In essence, the program's primary objective is to help participants obtain their first employment opportunity by offering skills development, practical knowledge training, mentorship by industry leaders, and even flight training.

 

Captain David organ, easyJet’s COO, says:

“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."

Captain Morgan also adds:

"Ensuring we attract a diverse community of people to join us and that they thrive as part of the easyJet team is crucial, 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 program but for the industry as a whole. We hope to see those joining the program 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.”

Source: simpleflying.com