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Academy celebrates 15 years

The 2019 Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy 2019 Awards marked 15 years and over 5,800 people helped into employment.

Heathrow Academy Awards 2019
By Heathrow
  • Since 2004 Heathrow has supported over 5800 people into employment and contributed over £13.5 million towards training and career development
  • Heathrow celebrates signing the Care Leaver Covenant, helping to make training and careers at Heathrow accessible to all.
  • 87 apprentices graduated from the Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy this year, with 68% of graduates living in the five local boroughs closest to the airport: Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Spelthorne and Slough.

Celebrating 15 years since opening its doors to the community, the Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy reveals it has supported over 5,800 people into employment since it was formed in 2004, contributing over £13.5 million to training and career development.

To mark the occasion, Heathrow hosted its Academy Awards ceremony at Stockley Park Golf Club last week, celebrating the 87 new graduates for 2019 – 68% of which are from one of the five local boroughs closest to the airport.

Graduates were joined by guest speaker, Reggie Nelson, who shared his inspiring story of door-knocking in wealthy parts of London for careers advice. Attendees also heard from Chris Garton, Chief Operating Officer, and Paul Stannett, Chief People Officer, who expressed their delight at the wealth of talent dedicated to delivering a world class passenger experience.

The evening was also a chance to reflect on a successful year in which the Heathrow Academy signed the Care Leaver Covenant and kicked off its People Leadership Forum and Skills Partnership; making careers at the airport more accessible and sustainable than ever.

Apprentices join the Academy at a variety of different stages in their lives, but are all committed to making positive changes.

Heathrow's Cheif People Officer Paula Stannett was on hand to celebrate the achievements of this year's graudates.

“For 15 years the Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy has been providing local people with bespoke opportunities to make positive and lasting changes to their lives. Through training, advice and emotional support, the Academy has equipped people with the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and fulfil their potential,” Paula Stannett said.

“As one of the biggest employers in the community, providing thousands of local people with careers not just jobs, Heathrow is committed to continued long-term investment in the Academy, to ensure that our future airport is built, operated and managed by local talent.”

For 15 years the Heathrow Employment and Skills Academy has been providing local people with bespoke opportunities to make positive and lasting changes to their lives.

Paula Stannett , Heathrow Chief People Officer

Success story 1: Rupinder, “If I can do it, anyone can”

Rupinder, from Hillingdon, was working in a secondary school before she took a break in work to focus on family commitments. During this time, Rupinder had lost a lot of confidence in herself and was concerned about going back into the world of work.

She was recommended to the Heathrow Academy Community Team, who recognised Rupinder’s lack of confidence, enrolling her onto the Pre-Employment Training course (PET). Rupinder worked very hard to complete the PET and has now undertaken a customer service role with Reach. She demonstrated that anyone can start a career after a long break.

Success story 2: Fatima, “The Academy has given me my self-belief back; I know that I can achieve and that there are no full stops in life”

Fatima, from Hounslow, was in foster care prior to joining the Academy, and searching for employment in order to pay her bills and live independently. Fatima found it increasingly difficult to find a role, due to not having any paid previous work experience and felt that there was a stigma attached to being a Care Leaver. The Academy set to rectify Fatima’s low self-belief and enrolled her onto the PET course to help her build a variety of skills needed for the workplace.

Fatima was also assigned a Heathrow Buddy to provide help, assistance and guidance throughout her time in the Academy. Fatima’s hard work, dedication and perseverance helped her to land her dream job, as an Administration Officer, at the Academy itself and has continued her training with a Level 2 Business Administration Apprenticeship to boost her future opportunities.

Looking for a new career?

Find out more about the careers and training available at Heathrow via the Heathrow Academy website.

Heathrow Academy