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College students part of exciting Stansted Airport recruitment drive

Billy Green

With Covid vaccination rules for travellers easing, and people’s attentions turning to holidays abroad, the travel industry is bracing itself for a bumper summer holiday season.

London Stansted is looking to fill around 300 job roles and to deal with the expected rise in demand, the airport hosted its first face-to-face jobs fair for over two years.

Many companies based at the airport are eager to get recruiting and fill those vacancies before what they hope will be a bumper year.

For students at Stansted Airport College this is fantastic news, as it means they are in exactly the right place at the right time to take advantage of this upsurge in the travel industry.

Billy Green, Ella Blayney and Jodi Doughty are all studying the Higher National Certificate (HNC) in International Travel & Tourism Management at the college.

Billy was training to be a pilot when the pandemic hit. “I was training to be a pilot but due to covid and job losses it wasn’t feasible at the time. I’m now looking to get back into the airport, back into aviation which is something I’ve wanted to do since I was young. It’s great to see the opportunities at the airport now – not just in the skies, but on the ground as well.”

Ella has been studying the industry for three years and says she is surprised at how many jobs are on offer. “I’m looking for a permanent job in aviation; I’ve been studying about it for three years so I’m looking to get into it. There is more than I thought there was; stuff I hadn't even heard of, which is really encouraging; they need hundreds of people.”

Jodi is aspiring to a career in the VIP customer service sector and explained the importance of being able to progress within the industry. “I think progression is the main thing because you’ve got to start at the bottom to progress and work your way up and get these job roles and more money.” 

Victoria Claydensmith, Head of Centre at Stansted Airport College, said: “It’s great to see the aviation industry recovering. Being able to provide the airport and surrounding businesses with a pipeline of future talent from Stansted Airport College is our aim, so to be in the right place at the right time to watch it happen is amazing.”

Vesela Ivanova, Employment and Skills Manager at London Stansted, spoke about the way the students had engaged with employers and the public at the recruitment fair. “Both the public and local businesses said how friendly, knowledgeable and helpful the students were throughout the day. Their eagerness was spotted by some of the business partners who will happily offer them employment once they complete their education.”

Watch the BBC news story

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