A career in the airline sector can be exciting and rewarding for anyone passionate about aviation. In this fast-paced industry, propelled by ever-evolving technology and advancements, airlines are always on the lookout for fresh talent – especially in this time of recovery. This is why, a number of major airlines are offering graduate schemes as a pathway to employment within their organizations.

What are graduate schemes, and how do they work?

A graduate scheme provides intensive training and support to individuals who have recently graduated. Through professional opportunities such as full-time and shadow roles, these programs equip graduates with real-world experiences that prepare them for a successful career in their field of choice.

During the pandemic, many airlines had to put a pause on their internships and graduate schemes. Now, as the industry is well on its way to recovery, airlines are back on the search for new talents. Be it an operational (like scheduling, dispatch, logistics), technical (think aircraft maintenance), or managerial role (leadership, finance, data), graduate schemes are beneficial in preparing the next generation of airline personnel in meeting industry needs.

Airline graduate schemes

Most airline graduate programs run from 12 months up to three years, offering different types of skills and experiences that help graduates excel in their field of choice.

• Aer Lingus: The Aer Lingus Graduate Programme runs for two years and is open to Maintenance & Engineering Graduates, Digital Technology Graduates, and Finance Graduates.
• American Airlines: The world’s largest airline is recruiting Juniors and Seniors from an accredited 4-year college/university course to join its Airport Hub Administration, Cargo, Customer Planning & Analysis, Finance, Procurement & Supply Chain, Revenue Management, and Sales & Marketing departments. Besides valuable industry experience and exposure, American Airlines also offers access to Employee Business Resource Groups and ten days of travel after internship completion.

• British Airways: There is a range of programs to choose from on the British Airways Graduate Programme, including a pathway to becoming a Strategic Commercial Advisor via the Finance Programme, as well as careers in Data Analytics, Logistics, Engineering (Planning & Supply Chain or Technical Programmes), Commercial Business, and a Future Leaders Programme.
• Cathay Pacific: The flag carrier of Hong Kong offers two streams in its graduate scheme, lasting two to four years. Under its Digital & IT program, graduates join as a Trainee in the first two years, before moving on to become a Specialist, then Analyst or Assistant Manager by the fourth year. Through its Engineering Graduate Training Programme, Cathay Pacific has various pathways for Technical Graduate Engineers, Maintenance Planning Graduate Engineers, Inventory Management Graduate Controllers, and Operational Graduate Engineers.

• easyJet: The budget airline’s Talented Career Programmes run for a minimum of two years, with Business, Operations, Technology, and Leadership streams. easyJet is calling on graduates with business awareness, analytical insight, commercial know-how and “a sense of fun whilst maximizing potential” to apply.
• Jetstar: Qantas’ low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar, also has a graduate scheme, which allocates graduates to functions that are in line with their study qualifications. The rotational program will see graduates assigned to various teams such as Safety, Engineering, Airport Services, Technology, Digital, Finance & Strategy, and Customer & Commercial, including specializations in a variety of areas such as Sales & Marketing.
• Qantas: The Australian flag carrier’s two-year program provides four rotations across a range of projects and business functions. Streams include General, Finance, Digital, Technology, and Data Science & Analytics. It is open to finance, technology, data science and analytics graduates and also general graduates who hold varying types of degrees.
• Ryanair: The Ryanair Graduate Programmes, spread across the airline’s Head Office, Operations, and IT units offer a fast-tracked career path for graduates. In the Head Office scheme, graduates can gain experience through two-year HQ Graduate Programmes or an ACA-accredited Finance Programme that lasts for three and a half years. The programs offer rotations within the Finance, Inflight, Legal, Sales & Marketing, Digital Experience, and Commercial departments. The Operations Programme, similarly, provides rotation within Pilot Management, Safety, Ground Operations and 24/7 Operations Control Center. Ryanair also has a 12-month IT Programme, in which graduates will specialize in one of six core units: Software Development, BI & Data Analytics, Quality Assurance, Infrastructure & Support, Planning & Delivery, and Security.
• Virgin Atlantic: In April 2022, Virgin Atlantic launched its new apprenticeship and graduate programs, offering this unique career pathway for the first time in three years. The 24-month programs focus on the engineering and maintenance aspect of the airline, designed to give a comprehensive insight into Virgin Atlantic’s technical operations.

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The time is now

As you may know, the effects of travel bans and restrictions led to mass furloughs and early retirements. At the end of 2020, an estimated 43% of direct aviation jobs were at risk. In the same period in 2021, this figure improved, but the industry still saw 21% (some 2.3 million) fewer jobs compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The good news is that airlines are now desperately seeking new staff to ensure they have the capacity to recover, having lost such a large percentage of their workforce. Aerospace headhunter, Emma Robinson said:

“The biggest issue facing the aviation industry at the moment is a lack of staff: they’ve lost the workforce during COVID, and they have not returned.”

For graduates thinking of joining the airline sector through graduate schemes, there’s no better way to learn than through real-world experience in an airline environment – and now is the time to do so.

Within aviation, beyond airlines

Apart from airlines, many major aviation companies are also offering graduate schemes in a bid to boost their workforce following the layoffs that took place when COVID-19 hit. For example, global airport operator, Swissport, is seeking to hire 30,000 new staff members after losing 20,000 employees during the pandemic.

Heathrow Airport is one instance of a non-airline aviation company that runs graduate schemes such as the Generalist, Engineering, Procurement, and Finance Graduate Leadership Development programs.

Source: Financial Times, Prospects