AVIATION CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE EVENT

Aviation Centres of Excellence - Save the Date

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The British Business and General Aviation Association and European Business Aviation Association were delighted to welcome a range of participants from government, education and industry to our 9 October event, “Aviation Centres of Excellence – Developing Tomorrow’s workforce for a global community”.

During the event Europe’s business aviation industry – led by the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) together with the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) – called on the UK government and private sector to come together and create skills centres to address workforce challenges and gender balance in aviation.

The business aviation sector is advocating to create more successful initiatives such as that pioneered by Stansted Airport College in the United Kingdom, which has just enrolled 429 full-time aviation trainees and 52 apprentices in its second year.

A Call for Centres of Excellence

Under the business aviation industry’s Expanding Horizons initiative, which aims in part to attract and engage the next generation of aviation professionals, BBGA and EBAA advocate the revitalisation of apprenticeships and the development of dedicated aviation centres of excellence. These would offer aviation services pathways where trainees would receive high quality training inhouse with assured work placements when ready.

Speaking at the event, Paul Maynard, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, said: “We have the largest aviation network in Europe, and with 435 million passengers set to travel through UK airports by 2050, we need the brightest minds from all backgrounds to support and strengthen this industry.”

Marc Bailey, BBGA CEO, added: “With business aviation accounting for 7% of that traffic, linking city pairs not connected by scheduled airline, it is vital that aviation moves together to keep up with that demand. We desperately, as an industry, need more technicians, engineers, air traffic controllers, ground handlers, as well as pilots to secure tomorrow’s workforce too. It is a fact of life that young people are increasingly facing tempting offers from other industries, including the tech sector. The solution, we are championing, lies in practical and immersive training, hand-in-hand with industry – as successfully demonstrated at Stansted Airport College.”

Frederique Luca, EBAA Senior Communications Manager, also underlined: “The aviation industry is falling behind because we are not doing enough to make our sector more attractive to a diverse talent pool – from all areas of the social spectrum. We need to create new centres of excellence to train a much needed workforce.”

The requirement for more commercial pilots is well known, but other roles in the less recognised ‘aviation services’ – in aircraft maintenance, Air Traffic Control, ground and flight operations – are deteriorating as European countries face a demographic cliff edge as baby boomers retire.

Stansted Airport College – a case study

Stansted Airport College, opened in September 2018, in a joint venture with Harlow College, is the first purpose built further education college at a UK airport. It will see 138 trainees graduate in June 2020.

Its curriculum offers pre-apprentice, apprenticeship and full-time programmes, plus work-transition courses in a range of subjects including aircraft engineering, maintenance, cabin crew, hospitality and event management.

After a successful first year, with an average pass rate of 97%, college graduates have secured permanent jobs at FlightWorx, Marshall Aerospace, Jet2, Ryanair, Kearsley Airways, GT Engines, Harrods Aviation, British Airways and AIM Composites.

This year it is delivering apprenticeship training for Ryanair, Tui, Harrods Aviation, Avalon Aero, Titan Airways, Inflite, CRS Technics, IMT Aviation, Sky Smart ACS Aviation, GT Engines, Storm Aviation and Kearsley Airways.

Women in aviation boost

Following on from its ‘Go on Girl’ campaign, Stansted College has successfully recruited 12 females onto its engineering programmes, equating to 8% engineering trainees, a 5% increase on the previous year. A total 60% of trainees on its Aviation Operations programme are female. With 138 trainees graduating in June 2020, Stansted College will have approximately 150 spaces next year. This year, says Karen Spencer, Principal, the college has received over 450 applications.

Paul Cremer

My name is Paul Cremer, and this marks my 42nd year working within the business and general aviation industry. Over this time, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing a diverse array of sector activities, ranging from aircraft charter and management to air ambulance services, ground operations, air traffic control, airport management, technology implementation, and the outsourcing services I currently manage.

In my role focused on delivering advisory, technology, and outsourcing services to aviation customers, I handle a wide spectrum of responsibilities. This includes overseeing International Trip Support, Operations Control Centre Services (OCC), Continuing Airworthiness Management Service (CAMO), Airworthiness Reviews, ARC Services, Aircraft Delivery and Re-delivery Support Services, Maintenance Coordination Services including AOG, Tech Ops (Maintenance Control Centre), and managing myairops software products. As the Head of Aviation Delivery, I lead the customer-facing delivery of Technology & Outsourcing products and services for the market, drawing upon a wealth of knowledge, expertise, and industry connections within Gama Aviation’s Technology and Outsourcing Strategic Business Unit.

My journey into Business and General Aviation began during my teenage years while still in school. I was fortunate enough to be welcomed into the industry, starting at a flying club, and later working at the Air Traffic Services Unit at Blackbushe Airport. There, I maintained the ATC Movement Logs in the Control Tower during weekends, solidifying my passion for aviation. Upon completing my schooling, I seized opportunities at Fairoaks Airport, where I began as Ground Crew while pursuing my Aerodrome Flight Information Service Officer’s license. Advancements in my career led me to the role of Air Traffic Services Manager.

Since joining Gama Aviation in 1996, I’ve held various positions, including Operations Manager (Post Holder), Operations & Commercial Manager, Commercial Manager, Operations Delivery Manager, Head of Business Aviation Delivery, and currently, Head of Aviation Delivery. This role encompasses Gama Aviation Group’s Gama Aviation, myairops, and FlyerTech companies.

In 2023, I was honoured to be invited to serve as the Chair of the Operations Working Group for the British Business & General Aviation Association. This opportunity allows me to contribute to industry initiatives within BBGA’s membership of nearly 200 industry companies, focusing on challenges such as regulatory compliance, Air Services Agreements, technological advancements, workforce development, operational matters, and sustainability.

Marc Bailey

Marc Bailey has spent his entire career in aviation and has worked in most areas of Aviation Services with scheduled airlines, MRO’s, military contract support and latterly with associations, government, and its agencies.

Marc represents your position in Europe (even post Brexit) – as President of ECOGAS (European Council of General Aviation Support) which maintains a voice with EASA. All the major member states are represented on the ECOGAS board. With EASA restructuring its meetings with industry, ECOGAS is now well positioned to represent our position in all areas following industry partnerships with the European Independent Maintenance Group and with ARPAS the new drone and autonomous association.

Marc is chair of the UKASF (United Kingdom Airworthiness Strategic Forum) as part of an initiative to develop Aviation Services across all aviation activities. The UKASF pulls together airlines, MROs, Rotary, Drones, and commercial GA bodies to work with CAA and DfT. The objective is for industry to take the lead to drive strategic issues to benefit all parties. We are well positioned after four years to continue our good work and with the re-established role of Chief Surveyor in the CAA we have a good focal point to do this.

Marc chairs the CAA Finance and Services Forum which allows industry in the UK to discuss in the financial plans for the CAA and the value for money delivered by those funds paid by industry. This is a new and valuable new platform for all parties.

Under recent developments Marc has formed an alliance with, ARPAS, AOPA, BHA and BBGA so that we can strengthen our voice under a joint ‘GA 4 Biz’ banner. This alliance is working to do everything possible to represent the industry’s business interests with UK government and to help realise the Government’s desire to make UK General Aviation a Global Leader in a post Brexit environment. GA4Biz – GA4Biz

The next Generation initiatives with industry and government have continued to develop with the retention platform now evolving into the “Aviation Skills Recruitment Platform”. The platform now not only offers a vehicle for those offering and seeking posts in aviation, it also provides pathways with its TalentView portion seeking to provide pathways for new entrants into our sector. The recruitment platform is being further developed to include training opportunities across a wide range of providers, from government agencies through academic bodies. Getting our next generation activities right in the UK over the next couple of years is our single most important issue which we in aviation must grab with both hands. Marc is playing a central role to help develop many of these channels.

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