Earlier this month, students from Balcarras, Chosen Hill and Winchcombe Schools enjoyed a week's work experience at Gloucestershire Airport.

This was the first time since the start of the pandemic that the airport has been able to welcome students on site and marks the beginning of its new work experience programme.

The Gloucestershire Airport team gave students a real insight into all aspects of airport operations, including air traffic control, engineering and firefighting requirements at the airport.

On-site operators also gave them a feel for the work that goes on across the wider aviation supply chain. This included a helicopter ride courtesy of Heliflight; a helicopter maintenance tour with engineers from Babcock; a fixed wing engineering tour with Skyborne; and access to view Little Jet Company and Flight Partner's private jets.

With many of the students already having one eye on the future of aviation, ElectroFlight gave them a taste of what the future might hold with an electric battery tour.

The students were also given the opportunity to get some hands-on experience of flying with David Lewins, managing director of Eagle Flight Training, showing them how to plot a flight plan and SimAir 737 providing a 737 flight simulator experience.

Karen Taylor, Gloucestershire Airport's managing director, said: "It's great to be able to welcome students on site once again, and, thanks to the airport's operators and our kind sponsors, Vitruvius and Office Net, give them the full airport experience.

"When people think of working at an airport, they often think about pilots and flight attendants, but so much more goes into running a successful airport. There are a whole array of specialties and abilities needed. I hope this week opened the students' eyes to this and will help inspire them to pursue a career in the aviation industry."

She continued: "We're ambitious and firmly believe in the airport's ability to act as a gateway of growth for the region. Central to that is engaging with local communities and inspiring the next generation of aviators. It's our intention that this week-long work experience marks the beginning of an annual work experience programme.

"We want to do everything we can to encourage more young people to engage with STEM subjects, especially young girls. An in-depth understanding of traditionally male-dominated STEM subjects can help unlock a whole host of opportunities that young women may not have previously given much thought to."

If your school would like to get involved in the airport's work experience programme, contact its community relations team on 0800 062 2985 or email communityrelations@gloucestershireairport.co.uk.