ELBA and London City Airport collect Gold at Corporate Engagement Awards for STEM event
On 26 June 2018, London City Airport and ELBA were awarded the top prize for ‘Best Collaboration for a Single Event’ at the Corporate Engagement Awards for its ‘STEM in Aviation Day’. The STEM day was held at the ExCeL in November and brought together some of the best innovators in the sector to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths careers to 210 East London secondary students from 14 schools across 7 boroughs. A video summarising the event can be viewed here.
To deliver the event and showcase the possibilities of the STEM sector, the airport worked with ELBA and industry volunteers from NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control; Accenture Innovation Hub; and the City Airport Development Programme (CADP) delivery partner, Bechtel.
STEM skills are some of the most sought-after in the aviation sector, with the risk of an increasing skills gap highlighted by the Department for Transport’s upcoming Aviation Strategy. At London City Airport, a £480 million development programme is underway alongside construction of the UK’s first Digital Air Traffic Control Tower, both of which rely on these specialisms. The STEM in Aviation Day gave local pupils hands-on demonstrations of the latest innovations, showing the breadth of opportunity within this attractive sector.
Liam McKay, Director of Corporate Affairs at London City Airport, said:
“This award recognises how industry can work together to inspire young people, and reflects London City Airport’s ongoing commitment to East London and local employment opportunities.
With an increasing demand for STEM skills across the UK, including here at London City where innovative technology will form the bedrock of our future airport, we have a responsibility to encourage the next generation of STEM workforce.”
ELBA CEO, Ian Parkes, said:
“The STEM event has been a very effective collaboration between ELBA and London City Airport. It is very difficult for school students to get a clear picture of the types of jobs and careers that could open up for them through studying STEM subjects. The event brings it alive for them in a very fun and interactive way. We can see from the feedback the impact on students, how it helps widen horizons and raise aspirations. We look forward to repeating the event this year – and drawing in even more students.”
The airport is already making plans for its next STEM in Aviation event on 15th November which will be even bigger in scale, with around 400 East London students and more industry volunteers from Bechtel, NATS and BAM Nuttall, a major contractor involved in the airport’s development programme.
The Corporate Engagement Awards recognise the most successful and innovative corporate partnerships and sponsorships, and the communication strategies around those collaborations.
Check out what happened at our previous STEM events here:
Students get a taste of STEM in aviation with London City Airport
