International Women’s Day: Local pupils hear from women in aviation

More than 20 students from two Wythenshawe secondary schools spent the day at Manchester Airport on Friday, learning about the range of careers available with a team of female staff working in various roles across the airport, ahead of International Women’s Day.

Pupils from Manchester Enterprise Academy and Dixons Brooklands Academy started their day at AeroZone, the airport’s dedicated education centre, with an introductory talk. They then took a tour of Terminal 2, the centrepiece of a £1.3bn transformation programme, and met women working on the project, as well as colleagues in Engineering, Customer Services and Airfield Operations.

A networking lunch was then held for the pupils at San Carlo in Terminal 2, where they met colleagues from across the business including the airport’s Women’s Network, and women working in areas such as Landside Operations, Social Media and IT.

Pupils also had the chance to speak to women enrolled on the airport’s apprenticeship programmes. Abi Rickers, an Engineering Apprentice, talked the group through her role on the airfield, maintaining the lighting and safety systems that keep aircraft moving.

"We were delighted to welcome pupils from Manchester Enterprise Academy and Dixons Brooklands Academy to Manchester Airport on International Women’s Day, to learn more about the wide variety of careers available to them here. We are proud to serve our neighbouring communities – not just by helping people to reach the destinations they want to get to, but also by playing our role as a major employer and economic facilitator in the region. That means empowering young women to go after the exciting careers they want.”

Marcella M’Rabety – Group Head of Social Sustainability, Manchester Airport

“This was an inspiring event where it showed students the wide variety of roles available in travel. It allowed us to explore the different career paths and creates a sense of community with women working together to empower more females to join the industry. This proved that women can be successful in male dominant industries.”

Kaileigh Spires – Teacher at Manchester Enterprise Academy