Birmingham Airport supports young care experienced adults into work

Image courtesy Birmingham Airport 

The regional transport hub hosted six care leavers aged 18 to 25 for a two-week work experience placement, providing them with a valuable insight into careers in the aviation industry. Led by the West Midlands Employer Alliance, a network dedicated to improving employment prospects in the region, the programme saw over 20 care experienced young adults undertaking work experience placements at seven local organisations including Kier Construction, Severn Trent and The NEC Group.

The specialised scheme was launched to address the innate challenges to employment faced by many young, care experienced adults with recent research suggesting that care leavers are four times more likely to not be in employment, education or training (NEET). It has also been proposed that 86% of young people who do not participate in meaningful work experience are likely to be NEET. 

With these unique barriers in view, the airport curated a tailored work experience programme of workshops designed to equip the cohort with transferrable professional skills required for a successful career. Across their two-week placement, participants also shadowed a variety of departments at the airport to gain an insight into the variety of jobs in the aviation industry. Highlights of the programme included a guided tour of an Airbus A-380, a session with the airport’s Air Traffic Control team and a workshop on drafting CVs. The scheme also provided opportunities for some participants to spend more time with specific departments of particular interest to be considered for apprenticeships. Following the successful completion of the programme, one individual has now secured a permanent position in the airport’s Customer Experience team.

Members of the West Midlands Employer Alliance, along with their respective work experience cohorts, joined Birmingham Airport at its on-site Learning Hub facility for a completion ceremony to celebrate and reflect upon the participant’s placements. Speeches were given by representatives from Severn Trent, NEC Group, Kier Construction, Dodds Group, E.ON, and Novotel. All participants of the programme will now have access to a professional mentor for 12-months to support with their next steps into employment, training or education.

Reflecting on his placement, Marcus Rees said: “I found my placement at Birmingham Airport incredibly rewarding and very productive. After several bad experiences in previous jobs, I was pleased to spend time in such a supportive and welcoming workplace environment. I’m excited to see what the future holds, and I look forward to continuing to develop with the support of my mentor.”

Commenting on the programme, Antoinette Farrell-Jones, Director of People at Birmingham Airport said: “As a key employer of the Midlands, we’re committed to providing opportunities for our local communities and that includes playing our part in bridging the employment gap for our region’s young people. We recognise that young care experienced adults face unique barriers to employment, and we also acknowledge the inherent value of early meaningful workplace experiences, which can help shape fruitful careers.

“With this in mind, we were pleased to host six extraordinarily promising young care leavers for a tailored work experience placement at Birmingham Airport. It was an absolute pleasure to witness first-hand the personal growth and development of our cohort across the two weeks and I’m confident that their professional futures will be bright, whether that’s within a role here at the airport or elsewhere in the region. We thank all our partners at the West Midlands Employer Alliance for their assistance with this incredible initiative and we look forward to continuing to work together to enhance employment prospects in the West Midlands.”

Further information on Birmingham Airport’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy can be found on the airport’s website here.