Industry leaders at the recently held British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA) annual conference emphasized the growing importance of apprenticeships, school outreach, and retraining programs to address a significant talent shortage in business aviation.

Panelists from Hunt & Palmer, Gama Aviation, Bombardier, and Universal Aviation shared positive experiences with apprentices but agreed that more visibility is needed for the diverse career paths within business aviation. While the airlines remain a popular career aspiration, the panel highlighted opportunities in air ambulance services, special missions, aircraft management, and air charter.

Bombardier, for example, hosts 15 maintenance technician students annually at its London Biggin Hill facility and has added retraining initiatives and a military transition program. Gama Aviation is expanding its apprenticeship programs into IT and finance and collaborates with providers to deliver industry-relevant training.

Zenon CEO Andrew Middleton reported a 38% rise in aviation recruitment demand, citing pilot cadet schemes and a pressing need for maintenance technicians as key drivers. The panel also acknowledged recruitment challenges linked to Brexit.

BBGA is encouraging its members to accept school work experience requests, viewing early engagement as vital to attracting the next generation of talent.