00:00Good morning, Mark. I'm Alison Addy and I'm the Head of External Engagement and Policy
00:10at London Gatwick.
00:11Yes, there is a real buzz here today. We're at the London Gatwick STEM Centre and over
00:20the course of today we're expecting 250 local students and job seekers. We've got 15 employers
00:26here, all here to tell students about the Apprenticeship opportunities. That includes
00:33our own engineering team. We've got applications opening next week for our Engineering Apprenticeship,
00:39that's a four-year apprenticeship, as well as an IT Apprenticeship, which is two years.
00:45But actually what I love about today is that we can showcase the fact that across Gatwick
00:50Airport there are so many different opportunities to build careers and actually what we say
00:56at London Gatwick in terms of our own vision, and particularly for passengers, is that we're
01:01the airport for everyone, whatever your journey. And I love the fact that that can apply to
01:06your career as well. So today we've got Network Rail, we've got Border Force, we've got restaurant
01:16and bar apprenticeships in hospitality. We've just been talking to MACE who are working
01:23on one of the big construction projects, the Pier 6 project at Gatwick, and there are
01:27massive opportunities and ambitions they've got in order to inspire students about the
01:32careers that they can have in construction. And often when students think about construction
01:38they think about the building part of it, but actually there are so many different roles
01:42involved in planning and designing and managing these types of projects, and obviously working
01:49at an airport environment, it's such a buzzy place to be, but it makes it really attractive.
02:01It's fantastic actually, I arrived about five minutes before the students did, and when
02:05they flooded in, the place just lit up. And what's lovely to see is that they're all asking
02:10great questions, they're really interested in the different opportunities, you know,
02:15what subjects do I need to be, making sure I get to get into the entry level, and the
02:21fact is that with our engineering team we've got our own apprentices here that can talk
02:25about their experience. I was just talking to one of them actually, Abby, she actually
02:31was at a local school in Horsham, and our engineering team went and did a STEM outreach
02:37activity, she persuaded her teacher to let her go along, she ended up, the school actually
02:43ended up putting on an engineering GCSE, and she ended up here as an apprentice, she's
02:50just about to complete her four year apprenticeship, and fingers crossed, will become an engineering
02:56technician here working on our baggage systems. I mean, she's so passionate about it, and
03:02she's here talking to other students about what that could mean for them. We've got eighteen
03:07apprentices here at the moment, six of those are girls, you know, female apprentices, and
03:13that's something that we've been working really hard to make sure that everyone knows
03:17that there's an opportunity for them here. And with so many employers here today, and
03:23so many students, I just, you know, I'm really excited, because this is really making sure
03:28that, you know, students locally, they're sitting at school, they might be at the year
03:33where they've got to choose their subjects, or they're thinking about careers, and the
03:37tense sometimes, I think it's changing a bit now, but there's been a tendency to forget
03:41about that route through to apprenticeships. And the apprentice we were talking to this
03:46morning was saying that, although she was doing quite well at school, she really did
03:51not like the classroom environment, it was not the place for her, she wanted to be hands-on,
03:55and so, of course, this is ideal for her. And that's the case, you know, classroom environment
04:01isn't necessarily the right place for everyone, so it's finding what's right for you, and
04:06being able to build, you know, a future career from that.
04:09So I'm here, I joined here at 31, I've been here two years, I'm an apprentice, so I've
04:15been on the apprenticeship.
04:18Part of the Northern Runway project, actually as part of the application, we have put together
04:22an employment skills and business strategy, so that actually shows how we will work with
04:28local partners, local schools, across not just education and skills, but through the
04:34construction supply chain, through procurement, innovation, we've got a whole theme on innovation,
04:41and also how to promote the region and make sure that everything we do in the way that
04:46we grow the airport over the, you know, coming years, that we're making sure that we're doing
04:52everything we can to work alongside the local community and local partners to ensure that
04:59there's a really thriving and resilient economy that benefits everybody, and that's the role
05:05that London Gatwick can play in really sort of bringing that benefit to the region.
05:17My name's Peter Lamb, and I am the Member of Parliament for Crawley. I think it's brilliant,
05:21apprenticeships really provide kids with an alternative route into work and into education.
05:26A degree's not for everyone, and that shouldn't necessarily be for everyone. If you want to do
05:29something that's hands-on, if you want to get into employment more quickly, there are so many
05:32things we need people to be doing at the moment. I mean, one area alone that we're talking to here
05:36is about construction. There's a desperate need for construction skills. If we don't get kids
05:40into construction, this country is going to grind to an absolute halt, so it's great to
05:43see so much enthusiasm from the kids about trying to take a different approach to their education.
05:52So you can do pretty much everything you might want to put your mind to. I mean,
05:55there are so many opportunities. So many parts of the country are unlucky in terms of opportunities.
05:59If you live in Crawley, if you're growing up in Crawley, you've got so many opportunities right
06:02on your doorstep. Do look around, shop around, find something that works for you. You know,
06:06the world is your oyster. Everyone in Crawley has either worked at the airport or someone in
06:15their family's worked at the airport, so there's a real kind of community-based space around that
06:18as well. You know, you have these opportunities there. Do make the best of it, and you know,
06:22absolutely, I want to see local kids from Crawley having the best shot at life,
06:25and this is one way of doing that.
06:31My name's Jamie. I'm a first-year apprentice, and so far, it is really good.
06:38Before I found the apprenticeship, I was doing building work,
06:42which was good, but I knew I wanted to do practical work,
06:46but not in construction, and I came across the apprenticeship online, and I was able to come
06:52and do a week's work experience, and I really enjoyed it. So I just applied, and then I got
06:56it really. It's good having schools in to see what they can do, because I don't think when you're in
07:01school, you don't get stuff like this. You don't get shown to. You don't know what's available,
07:05so to come and see things like this, it's helpful. I would say apply for it. Just try it,
07:12because it is really good, and it's something that you won't get anywhere else.
07:16If you like practical work, it is definitely a good thing to do, and it is so different,
07:22so much different things you can get involved in, so I highly, highly recommend it.
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