Air Partner and Crawley College team up to propel aviation careers with T-Levels

Gatwick-based global aviation services group, Air Partner has established a new partnership with Crawley College, part of Chichester College Group, to provide local students with T-Level work placements in the aviation sector.

T-Levels are a vocational alternative to A-Levels, first introduced by the government to address skills shortages faced by employers. As part of the course, students must undertake a placement lasting a minimum of 315 hours, designed to help them develop on the job knowledge to thrive in the workplace.

The collaboration between the two parties was formed to provide students with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the aviation sector, simultaneously creating a credible and valuable path towards building future careers, to add to the traditional university route.

As part of the T-Level programme with Air Partner, students will gain a unique work experience opportunity to closely collaborate with experienced professionals in the operations team.

As part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing a future generation of aviation experts, and to support an industry that has experienced huge setbacks since the onset of the pandemic, Air Partner established a Broker Academy earlier this year offering bespoke training to a diverse group of aspiring private jet, group charter and cargo aircraft brokers.

Greg Charman, Environmental, Social and Governance Manager at Air Partner commented: “At Air Partner we recognise the importance of building strong links with local communities, close to our office locations. We also place a lot of value on attracting and developing younger people within the aviation sector. For these reasons, we are delighted to be working in partnership with Crawley College to offer T-level students the opportunity to join us to experience working life and learn more about various elements of our business. Our initial placements have been very successful, and we firmly believe that this represents a positive outcome for everyone involved.”

Ciara Williams, Deputy T Level Development Manager for Chichester College, said: “For a lot of these students, it is their first time working in an office-based environment, and that can be daunting. But the students were made to feel comfortable and part of a team very quickly which is a testament to the team at Air Partner. The placement has allowed them to encounter a real work situation and apply that knowledge and skills to exams.”

Chichester College Group, known for its leading vocational programmes, were one of the first adopters of T-Levels, launching the first courses in construction and childcare in 2020. The Group has since expanded its offering to finance, legal, engineering, digital programmes and is continually reviewing its courses for quality, impact, retention and future progression.