Over five hundred young people took a step towards their future as they attended the fourth annual Heathrow Apprenticeship Fair on February 9. With sky-rocketing student debt and on-going public sector cuts, vocational qualifications are more important than ever and the yearly fair provides a great chance for local schoolchildren to understand more about a variety of opportunities at Heathrow that combine learning with a lifetime of skilled employment.
Young people from the airport’s five neighbouring boroughs had exclusive access to 85 representatives from some of the top employers around Heathrow including Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke, Carillion and British Airways. Heathrow Airport's own engineering department and Retail Academy were also present. The fair forms part of the Heathrow local labour strategy which aims to promote the economic benefits of the airport to local people.
Dionne Williamson, a teacher attending from West Thames College in Feltham said: “I want to push the opportunities on offer to students at the airport. I don’t think they are all aware there are many professional career opportunities here. We have been coming for years to the Heathrow Apprenticeship Fair and it’s great to see there has been a surge in girls signing up to mechanical, engineering and construction training.”
Pardip Samby and Manjot Bajwa, 17, students from Cranford College in Hounslow, commented: “With the tuition fees hike we are keen to see the range of options after leaving school. It has been great to see there are some really good careers and training opportunities at the airport.”
Keith Little, Apprenticeship Manager at Laing O’Rourke said: “We find the fair really useful. There is a real surge in applications from students in the local area after the fair,” whilst Mark Ballington, Training Manager at British Airways Engineering said: “We only recruit from the local area so the students the fair attracts is perfect for us. It has been a very useful day and we are sure to meet the new demand we have for Apprentices.”
For more information please contact the Heathrow press office on 020 8745 7224.
