Careers taking off at Bristol Airport!
Following on from a brilliant visit to Bristol Airport last academic year with Ashton Park School, we brought a group of 15 Y10 students from Bedminster Down School to learn about all the careers the airport offers.
The visit started with a tour of the terminal building where students were introduced to several of the airport’s business partners so they could understand their roles. First, we spoke to staff from Jet 2, who shared their experiences both landside as customer support, and airside as cabin crew. Students asked questions about what they found most rewarding about their roles, which countries they had visited, and how to speak with customers. Next, we spoke to ABM who run the special assistance at the airport, supporting customers who need help to travel. We heard about support for wheelchair users, planning shift patterns so that someone is always available, and how staff got into that field. Finally, we caught up with a member of staff from ICTS who manage security at the airport. There, we saw and heard about the new developments in scanning technology and improvements to wait times, as well as upsides and challenges to working with customers.
For the second part of the visit, we headed across to the admin building where many of the staff employed directly by Bristol Airport work. There, students took part in an engineering themed challenge where they had to work together as teams to build the tallest tower possible that could support a golf ball, using just tape and paper straws. Students were encouraged to reflect on the skills they had used in the challenge and how these related to careers at the airport. Next students were given a talk about different teams that work at the airport and routes in, including a range of apprenticeships and work experience. We heard about career routes with both Bristol Airport and the airport business partners that covered engineering, fire safety, customer service, business and administration, operations and more.
For the final thirty minutes, the group was treated to a trip to the roof of the building to see an excellent view of the airport from up high. From this vantage point, learners could see the runway, air control tower, several hangars, and planes taking off and landing. We even got a bit of December sunshine!
The visit provided a valuable insight into the range of opportunities at the airport, and kept learners engaged and inspired. One student has applied to do Y10 work experience with the airport, and several others shared that they would be considering the airport in their future planning. A teacher said it was one of the best careers trips the school had been on and that it ‘showcased the different departments and how they come together.’
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the brilliant learners from Ashton Park and Bedminster Down schools, and especially to Bristol Airport for planning such a brilliant day out! 
