easyJet crew bring daughters onboard for Mother's Day
10-year-old Harriet joined pilot mum Debbie Thomas at Luton airport to explore the flight deck of an A320
This Mother’s Day, easyJet invited daughters to join their mothers at work in a bid to inspire the next generation of pilots, engineers and data scientists. easyJet’s campaign aims to raise awareness of STEM career opportunities in aviation including apprenticeships in engineering, data, artificial intelligence and challenge traditional gendered stereotypes of the professions.
It follows recent research which has suggested that based on current trends, it would take 22 years (until 2044) for the same number of women to be starting STEM apprenticeships as men.
First Officer Debbie Thomas, an airline pilot at easyJet and former engineer, was joined by 10-year-old daughter Harriet for a day at Luton airport where the pair explored Debbie’s office — the flight deck of an A320. Harriet was shown the controls by her mum and practiced making a pilot’s passenger announcement.
In a March 13 press release, Harriet Thomas said, “It was so fun to see my mum at her work, I think her job is amazing which is why I want to be a pilot just like her when I grow up.”
Amaryllis, aged seven, joined her mother Nikoletta, at work ahead of Mother’s Day. The budding young math whizz had the chance to learn from her physicist mum what it takes to be a Senior Data Analyst for easyJet. The pair spent the day analyzing baggage data and trends, meeting colleagues across the business and attending meetings at the airline’s head office at Luton Airport.
Nikoletta said, “This was a brilliant and important opportunity to bring Amaryllis to work with me and show her what a job in data is all about. With fewer women than men starting STEM apprenticeships in the last year and research even showing that that number is falling compared to previous years, it’s critical to raise awareness of the incredible variety of jobs available in the industry and in those STEM roles from a young age.”
easyJet offers 17 apprenticeships ranging from engineering to data and artificial intelligence and business analytics as well as beyond STEM in HR, legal and leadership, providing opportunities not just for graduates but for continuous professional development that allow people to progress and excel in their careers.
The campaign is part of the airline’s ongoing work to support employability and early career opportunities and to drive a more diverse community within the airline and the aviation industry as a whole.
It follows the launch of a partnership with leading diversity in aviation youth organization Fantasy Wings to provide young people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and young women with greater opportunity to launch a career in the industry, through Fantasy Wings’ aviation career development programme. easyJet is sponsoring places for students from 50 schools across the UK to join the programme, which is designed to equip young people with the necessary tools they need to succeed in the industry and land their first-time role through skills development, practical knowledge training, career mentorship by industry leaders and even flight training.
The airline has also launched a team of Enterprise Advisors — easyJet employees from across the business including engineering and maintenance, IT and data and operations — who are partnered with local schools in the Luton and Gatwick areas, home to the airline’s largest UK operations, to provide careers advice and employability support to young people.
Since 2016, the airline’s “Pilot School Visits” programme has seen pilots visit hundreds of schools up and down the country for young people to learn more about the career, focused on encouraging more girls to become an airline pilot. Schools and parents can request a visit from an easyJet pilot by contacting pilotvisits@easyJet.com.
