easyJet has launched a Europe-wide recruitment campaign to help potential candidates discover what it takes to become a pilot, targeting women in particular.
It has rolled out a series of ads linking to an online pilot aptitude test, giving individuals the chance to determine whether they have the key skills required to become an airline pilot, including sense of direction and speed.
The campaign is being aimed at female audiences in particular, as a recent poll of 2,000 people commissioned by easyJet found that 59% still think there is the misconception that an airline pilot is a man’s job.
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Thirty-two per cent of men said they would consider becoming a pilot, compared with just 15% of women.
Asked why they believed that pilot is a role for a man, the top reason given by children was that they had never seen a female pilot (41%). Of the young girls surveyed, nearly half 47% said they believe a pilot is a job for a man.
To launch the campaign, captain Sarah Ackerley was strapped to a billboard in central London today (3 April) to answer questions from the public and provide insight into her career.
She said: “Tackling gender stereotyping within aviation has been a long-standing mission for easyJet and I’m excited to be part of this latest campaign that’s allowing people to get a real insight into what skills are really important to do this job, and encourage more women into the profession.
“It’s an immensely rewarding career that I’m proud to champion and I hope by more people taking our new interactive test, they can challenge themselves to discover a talent they never knew they had and I hope to see them flying with us in the future.”
easyJet says 7.5% of its UK pilots – around 300 – are women, compared to the UK industry average of 6.5%.
The airline will soon be launching its 2024 pilot training programme, an intensive scheme that takes aspiring pilots with little or no experience to flying a commercial passenger jet in around two years.
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Fifty-seven per cent of those polled believed a university degree is required to become a pilot, and 80% think they need to have 20/20 vision. However, neither are a necessity, with easyJet’s programme requiring a minimum of five GCSEs at grade C or 4, including maths, science and English language.
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