UK government urges aviation sector to register for skills retention platform

The aviation industry is being urged by the UK government to register for the Aviation Skills Retention Platform (ASRP) to help the sector prepare for recovery.

Dr. Rannia Leontaridi, Director for Aviation at the Department for Transport (DfT), has issued a letter to organisations within aviation, appealing for the industry to join other employers and get behind the ASRP, which was launched earlier in 2021. It comes six months after the free platform was launched, to bolster recruitment for both aviation companies and candidates.

More than 61,000 jobs have reportedly been lost across the aviation and aerospace industries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the government’s furlough scheme due to end in September, other support measures, such as the ASRP, are recognised as being a valuable lifeline.

In the published letter, the department calls for companies to use the platform to source valuable skills: “The ASRP was initially set up by the government dedicated to supporting the attraction, development and retention of people and skills in UK aerospace, defence, aviation, construction, manufacturing, engineering and technology.

“The ASRP has a growing number of vacancies and presents a good opportunity for those people looking to return to jobs in the aviation industry. For employers, the skills base of candidates ranges from ground and flight operations, engineering, domestic, retail, air traffic control and much more. Furthermore, employers will also have free access to talent on other TRS platforms linked to the ASRP, which have been established to support sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the construction sector.

“We are reaching out to ensure that businesses and people take full advantage of what the ASRP has to offer, including access to funded training courses through the Civil Aviation Authority International (CAAi) which are open to people who are ‘currently unemployed, who worked within the UK aviation sector before the pandemic.’”

The ASRP has been funded by the government to help aviation workers showcase their experience and expertise while helping aviation employers find the skills, they need, aiding redeployment and recruitment, skills retention, and development activities across the sector.

So far, 82 companies, including EasyJet, TUI, Flybe, London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and over 780 other candidates have signed up to use the site.

Richard Smith, Director of the ASRP, said: “The ASRP has been gaining momentum since its launch and has already helped numerous employers find their next employees, and candidates find their next job or training opportunity within the sector.

“But there is still more to be done to help the aviation sector plug those recruitment gaps and with the furlough scheme, which has been supporting 58 per cent of passenger air transport employees and 49 per cent of travel agency and tour operator activities, ending in September, it will become more of an invaluable resource than ever before. It’s open for the entire aviation sector to use and is the only place to house such a wealth of recruitment support, all in one place.”

Employers who are making redundancies are being advised to contact ASRP so that affected staff can be registered on the site and apply for jobs and training opportunities. They can also use the platform to post vacancies and search for potential candidates for free.

Meanwhile, aviation staff who are unemployed or looking to move jobs can view and apply for a list of vacancies that are updated daily.