On World Pilot Day, EasyJet, Europe’s leading airline, announces that it has reopened applications for the “EeasyJet Generation” pilot training programme, where the company will accept approximately 200 aspiring pilots in 2023.
The “easyJet Generation” pilot training programme is run in partnership with CAE and offers aspiring pilots the highest level of training to become qualified commercial line pilots in about two years. Ground training is given at CAE’s European aviation academies in Oxford (England), Milan (Italy), Brussels (Belgium), or Madrid (Spain), while flight training is done at CAE Phoenix in the USA. On successful completion of the programme, new pilots can start their flying careers as Second Officer.
The group of cadet pilots selected when the programme reopened in January 2022 have already begun training. Current applications are for programmes beginning in December 2023 and ending in 2026.
Over the next five years, around 1,000 new pilots are expected to join EasyJet. The airline continues to encourage the integration of people from diverse backgrounds, with a focus on making the pilot career more attractive to women, as part of its commitment to increasing diversity at the airline and continuing to create an inclusive culture for all.
EasyJet has committed to supporting the CAE “Women in Aviation” by providing a European candidate with access to her first job opportunity. CAE will fund and offer pilot training at one of its aviation academies to the most successful candidate. The winner also becomes an ambassador for CAE “Women in Aviation” to encourage more girls and women to consider a career in aviation, dreaming big and without limits.
| Captain David Morgan, EasyJet’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“We are delighted to have opened new applications for this year’s ‘Generation easyJet’ pilot training programme as part of our plan to recruit and train 1000 new pilots by 2027. Ensuring that we are able to attract a diverse set of people to join us, as well as making sure they can thrive as part of the easyJet team is crucial and so it remains a priority for us to challenge the gender stereotypes of the pilot career and encourage more women to choose this profession. While we are proud to have doubled the number of women flying with us in recent years, we know that there is always more that can be done to increase diversity in all its forms in the cockpit. As such, we are committed to continuing to lead the aviation industry in this direction.” |
“We look forward to training the next generation of EasyJet pilots at CAE’s European facilities later this year,” said Nick Leontidis, President of CAE’s Civil Aviation Group. “The EasyJet Generation pilot training programme offers a unique opportunity for aspiring pilots to realise their dream of a career in the cockpit. We are also especially proud of our partnership with EasyJet, CAE “Women in Aviation”, which is encouraging more women to reach the skies and become aviation pilots. As a long-standing airline partner, EasyJet can count on the support of CAE to achieve its growth and recruitment targets of 1,000 pilots by 2027.”
With women making up only around 6% of pilots worldwide, EasyJet has focused on tackling this gender imbalance across the industry by encouraging more women to join the pilot training programme.
The results of this work show that easyJet has more than doubled the number of female pilots and remains focused on building a more diverse talent base that will enable it to drive long-term sustainable change. Together with recruitment campaigns and working with training partners to attract more women and people from diverse backgrounds to the career, over the past seven years easyJet’s ‘A Pilot’s Visit to School’ programme has taken hundreds of pilots to schools across the country, with the aim of challenging stereotypes about work and showing that it is a career for everyone.
To apply for the “EasyJet Generation” pilot training programme, aspiring pilots must be at least 18 years old at the time of commencement of training. In addition, they have to submit certificates proving that they have passed the secondary school examinations in Mathematics, English and any area of science, as well as two other additional subjects – no higher qualifications or diplomas are required. The “EasyJet Generation” pilot training programme will enable aspiring pilots, who have little or no flying experience, to be trained in two years to operate a commercial passenger flight through an intensive, industry-leading training course.
The pilot training programme “easyJet Generation” is open and application forms can be found at http://becomeapilot.easyjet.com/
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
