The aerospace industry is facing a widening talent gap that a recent McKinsey report estimated could cost a median-sized A&D company $300–$330 million annually in lost productivity. This figure combines the skill, will, and time gap.
Adding to this challenge, is the persistent gender imbalance across the sector, with women comprising less than 20 per cent of the workforce in most aviation occupations.
In response, easyJet is proactively encouraging more young women to consider careers as aircraft engineers. The airline is making visits to schools and colleges to “inspire the next generation of engineering professionals.”
Earlier this month, the airline collaborated with award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes, to encourage more young women to apply for the 2025 Aeronautical Engineering Apprenticeship programme. Stemettes works across the UK & Ireland to engage, inform and connect the next generation of women and non-binary people into Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (known collectively as STEAM). The programme takes apprentices through a fully-funded training programme to become licensed mechanics at the airline in two years.
Katie Edney, easyJet former engineering apprentice and Licenced Mechanic, said:
“easyJet has been brilliant at giving me a flying start to become a professional engineer. It’s a hugely challenging, offering great opportunities, which I would recommend to anyone.
It is definitely a pathway I would encourage other women to consider, to pursue a career in aviation, and shows how we can challenge traditional role models.”
For more like this see:
- McKinsey underscores gen AI’s role in bridging the labour gap
- Key insights from our top LinkedIn polls
- Innovation Q&A with Paige Stanton Wilson, COO at Acubed, an Airbus Innovation Center