London Stansted has announced a new partnership with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to offer the airport’s apprentices and young colleagues the opportunity to achieve a Gold DofE Award through its DofE business programme.
The new partnership will help support the development of the airport’s apprentices and equip them with essential life and social skills they may not get through their day-to-day jobs and technical training. These include building confidence, resilience and communication, as well as teambuilding and leadership skills.
The first participants to sign-up to achieve their Gold Award at London Stansted are three apprentices from the airport’s engineering and motor transport teams, plus colleagues from the customer experience and resourcing teams who are now on a five-stage programme to learn a new skill, take on a physical activity or sport, join a residential experience, volunteer in their community and culminating in an outdoor expedition.
James Baker, London Stansted’s Engineering Director, said:
“We’re delighted to partner with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to offer the Gold DofE Award to our apprentices and young colleagues, a fantastic opportunity for our young people to learn and build an invaluable array of important life skills in addition to their work-based training and development. We know the DofE has a positive impact on young people’s skills, wellbeing and community ties, and we are committed to investing in our own young talent so they can become the best they can be and a real asset to the business. I believe this partnership can not only help transform our apprentices into well-rounded and confident colleagues, and potential leaders of the future, but it will also help us attract, develop and retain talent as the airport continues to grow and thrive.”
Jake Danskin, Airport Engineering Apprentice, said:
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first signed up for the DofE, but the Gold Award experience has been fantastic so far. The recent residential trip was a real highlight for me, I’ve made new friends in different areas of the airport that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to connect with. Being part of this programme has been incredibly rewarding, and I’m excited for the challenges and activities ahead. By the end of the course, I hope to build even more confidence and feel comfortable engaging with even more people across the airport.”
