The British Business General Aviation (BBGA’s) Annual Conference and AGM will take place on Thursday 7th March at Luton Hoo Hotel. Titled ‘Tomorrow’s People Today,’ the conference will explore how aviation jobs will evolve in the future and how new talent will be fostered.
BBGA CEO, Marc Bailey, said, “Following on from our futurist approach in 2018 and the opportunity to consider potential disruptors in the world of commercial General Aviation, our theme this year is to consider how we are going to resource our brave new world. This year we focus on the people who will drive our industry forward, against a background of critical pilot and engineer shortage, through to multi-decade independent business owners looking to future proof their companies.”
He continued, “The theme of our conference is of real importance to the aviation sector as a whole and it is vital that we all look hard at what we can do to encourage and make provision to develop the next generation of enthusiasts to join us. The important message for us to consider is that we are not just talking about pilots or licensed engineers, we are looking at the resources we need for all three of our key streams.”
He added, “Those streams are Ground Operations, Airworthiness and Flight Operations. For the last two decades we have seen a proliferation of academic solutions in the UK and the message given to the next generation has been the need to secure a degree, otherwise you will be considered a failure. When you consider that our sector has 90% or more of its staffs vocationally trained and that they secure a great career in aviation; the academic pathway is a very small part of the picture. That is why we need to work hard to capture students and their parents interest to convince them of the potential pathways we can offer youngsters before they select their subjects at school.”
Also during the day, CEO of NESTA, Geoff Mulgan, will present his views on ‘Working in the age of longevity,’ and is expected to lift the lid on the implications of future working lives, if you should choose to work past the age of retirement.
Mulgan said, “We are facing a democratic cliff edge when it comes to securing suitably qualified personnel to fill vacancies in the future.”
A panel session titled ‘Inspiring the New Generation,’ will also take place during the conference. The All Parliamentary Group STEM Chair, Karen Spencer, will head up the discussions and feature trainees from the Stansted Airport College.
Technology, and how that will change the requirements for future pilots, will also be addressed during the panel. Head of Training and Recruitment at Ryanair, Andy O’Shea, will be on hand to answer questions surrounding this.
The conference is sponsored by the exhibitors, including Harrods Aviation, Shell Aircraft, Bombardier, and naturally, Aviation Job Search.
Following the conference, a Gala Dinner will take place at Mansion House at Luton Hoo.
Join the conference
Around 150 delegates are expected to attend the conference, though limited places are still available. To book, contact rachael.paskin@bbga.aero
