Generation Aviation programme evaluation, February 2023 and March 2024
Published 26 September 2024
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Generation Aviation is an aviation created skills programme that promotes government working with industry and outreach partners to raise the profile of careers in aviation.
The programme was launched in October 2022 in response to the resilience issues experienced in summer of the same year and formed part of the 22-point action plan to address aviation disruption.
The 5 workstreams within Generation Aviation are:
- outreach
- signposting training, careers and opportunities
- championing the sector
- working in partnership with industry
- driving research and data
Survey work was conducted to provide a way of monitoring and evaluating the success and awareness of the programme. This meant we could engage with a broad range of stakeholders to hear their views on Generation Aviation.
This report outlines the results from those Generation Aviation engagement surveys which were conducted internally by DfT. The purpose of these surveys is to monitor engagement with, and attitudes towards, the Generation Aviation skills programme. The results have been used to ensure the work is reflective of the sector’s views and aid in the continuous improvement of the programme.
Methodology
This report contains results from 2 surveys. The baseline survey was the first engagement survey to be conducted at the beginning of the Generation Aviation campaign. Data was collected between 25 January to 13 February 2023, this is referred to as the February 2023 survey. The second survey is the most recent and data was collected between 7 February to 8 March 2024, this is referred to as the March 2024 survey.
For both surveys the participation link was distributed via email to contacts who previously engaged with Generation Aviation or belong to an entity with an interest in aviation skills, including:
- airports
- airlines
- ground handling and cargo organisations
- businesses and general aviation
- other government departments
- educational institutions
- charity or social enterprises
It should be noted that the link may have been shared more widely around each contact’s network, meaning that response rates cannot be calculated with certainty.
The ethical implications of this project were minimal. The collection of personal data was undertaken on a public task legal basis. Participants were made aware prior to their participation of the types of personal information that may be collected and the rational for requesting it. They were informed that if their answers contain any identifiable information, then under data protection law the department would be the controller for this information. Data was stored securely and was only accessible to a small team at the DfT. Participants were also made aware that the results would be published in an anonymised and aggregate form.
February 2023
The February 2023 survey was sent to approximately 250 contacts where 100 participants completed the survey. During data cleaning 4 responses were excluded from analysis as they stated they had completed the survey previously and a further 7 responses were excluded due to being identified as duplicates. This left 89 complete responses after data cleaning and gave an estimated response rate of around 36%. Duplicate responses were classed as responses which were completed at the same time within the same organisation (2 or more) or had the same job role listed. In these situations the response of the most senior person was retained or if seniority could not be distinguished the first response received was retained.
Responses that had no name or identified their role as ‘not relevant’ to Generation Aviation were excluded
March 2024
The March 2024 survey was sent to approximately 178 contacts in the aviation sector. Of these, 65 complete responses remained after data cleaning and after 9 responses were excluded from analysis as they stated they had completed the survey previously. The duplicate removal process was not applied during analysis on these results to retain maximum data richness from a variety of stakeholders at multiple levels of seniority within organisations. There was an estimated response rate of around 37% for this survey.
Respondents
Of the 89 respondents in the February 2023 survey, the largest proportion reported living in the south-east (29%), London (18%) and the south-west (12%). There was at least one respondent from each region in the UK. When asking respondents what type of organisation they worked for, 61% self-reported as working in the aviation industry (including airlines, airports, airport services, airfields, manufacturers and suppliers). No further breakdown of industry type was conducted in this survey, although this was applied in the March 2024 survey. A further 18% worked in other organisations (including associations, agencies and those who are self-employed), whilst 7% worked in the charity sector.
Of the 65 respondents who responded to the March 2024 survey, the largest proportion of participants reported living in London and the south-east (25% in each category, respectively). There was at least one respondent from each region in the UK, apart from Scotland. When asking respondents what type of organisation they work for, the aviation industry was the largest group overall (80%), but the largest sub-group within this was Airports (23%). Of those not working in industry, the largest group was educational institutions (13%).
Other caveats used when reviewing the process were:
- convenience sampling was used to recruit for the survey. This is when a sample which is easily accessible is used but it is not necessarily the most representative of the wider target population. We used this method, as we wanted to focus on those who had previously engaged with the team. As a result, there is some selection bias present, as we only contacted those known to the DfT. Therefore, results should be treated with caution and cannot be used to estimate views of the wider population
- this research was cross-sectional, meaning the results were a snapshot of the participants’ views at that moment in time and the target sample is not consistent across the two surveys. Therefore, data cannot be used to establish cause and effect or long-term trends
- in the March 2024 survey, airports were contacted earlier on during fieldwork and therefore there may be an overrepresentation of this group in comparison to the February 2023 survey. Due to this, comparisons should be treated with caution
- as not all questions required a response, some respondents skipped certain questions that were not appropriate to them, resulting in different base sizes for different questions. Base sizes will be specified throughout this report
- that in the February 2023 survey, duplicate responses were excluded from analysis. Duplicate responses were identified based upon information given by respondents about the organisation they work at alongside their job title. This data was not required from respondents and so there may be a small number of unidentifiable duplicate responses remaining across the data set from those who did not choose to provide such information
- that no duplication removal process was applied in the March 2024 survey analysis. This is because the February 2023 survey was intended to provide a starting point, a baseline set of results with one respondent per organisation with the most senior acting as a proxy for the wider organisation. In the March 2024 survey, wider reach was prioritised for insight into how successful engagement efforts have been in the last year, across all levels of seniority and across multiple different stakeholder groups. Therefore, any comparisons between the results should be treated with caution as the 2 samples are not directly comparable
Findings summary
The summary of findings were that:
- in February 2023, 64% of respondents felt that the UK government does not do enough to support the aviation sector on aviation skills. In March 2024 this figure had decreased to 55%
- approximately 7 in 10 respondents (69%) in both surveys thought that the aviation industry is completely or mostly responsible for ensuring that future aviation skills are met, whilst around a third (32% in March 2024 versus 33% in February 2023) thought that the UK government is completely or mostly responsible
- awareness has improved over the last year. In March 2024, 71% of participants had heard of Generation Aviation (versus 57% in February 2023) and almost half (46%) knew what it was (versus 27% in February 2023). Around 3 in 10 (29%) had not heard of Generation Aviation, but this is a decrease from the 43% recorded in February 2023. Aviation Ambassadors was the element with most awareness in both those who knew of the programme (97% in March 2024 versus 92% in February 2023) and those who didn’t (43% in March 2024 versus 34% in February 2023)
- in March 2024, 57% of those who knew of Generation Aviation rated the relationship between the aviation industry and government as good or very good, 17% rated the relationship as poor and 20% rated it as neither poor nor good. Of those who did not know of Generation Aviation, 17% rated the relationship as good or very good, 31% rated it poor or very poor and a further 43% rated it neither poor nor good
- some participants felt engagement with government was working well and that its outreach initiatives were seen as effective. However, many felt that engagement with a more varied team with industry expertise was needed. Recognition of apprenticeships and more public displays of support towards the aviation industry, were also seen as desirable
- multiple respondents valued how Generation Aviation has improved the visibility of the aviation sector through participation in industry events and outreach initiatives. However, the main suggestions for improving upon this approach were focused on the increased promotion of the programme in new spaces such as other government departments and local authorities
Full research findings
The term ‘net’ is used alongside answer options throughout the chart findings. When given, this indicates that the total proportion across similar answer options has been used. For example:
- Net:agree is the total proportion of those who answered strongly agree or agree and net:disagree is the total proportion of those who answered strongly disagree and disagree
- Net:poor is the total proportion of those who answered very poor or poor and net:good is the total proportion of those who answered good or very good
Relationship with government
For the baseline survey conducted in February 2023, all participants were asked to rate the relationship between the UK government and the aviation industry in the year before the 31st October 2022 (before the Generation Aviation programme launched). Just under 3 in 10 (28%) rated the relationship as good overall, whilst a further 20% thought it was neither poor nor good. Just under half (46%) rated the relationship as poor and a further 6% said they didn’t know.
In March 2024, just over half of participants (55%) disagreed that the government does enough to support the aviation sector on aviation skills. This was down by 9 percentage points from the February 2023 survey, where 64% disagreed. Only 12% in the March 2024 survey agreed to varying degrees (a slight drop from 15% in February 2023) whereas 28% neither agreed nor disagreed when compared to the earlier survey. Another 5% said they didn’t know in March 2024 compared with 2% in the February 2023 survey.
The UK government does enough to support the aviation sector on aviation skills?
| Rating | February 2023 (88 responses) | March 2024 (65 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Net: Agree | 15% | 12% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 19% | 28% |
| Net: Disagree | 64% | 55% |
| Don’t know | 2% | 5% |
Engaging with the DfT on aviation skills
In March 2024, around 6 in 10 participants (63%) felt that the aviation sector has some opportunity to engage with the DfT about aviation skills, an increase from 57% in February 2023. A further 22% felt they have lots of opportunities, again an increase from 6% in February 2023. However, 6% felt that the aviation industry does not have the opportunity to engage with the DfT about aviation skills. This is a large drop in comparison to the 25% recorded in the previous year.
How much, if at all, do you feel the aviation sector has the opportunity to engage with DfT about aviation skills?
| Statements | February 2023 (89 responses) | March 2024 (65 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| No opportunities to engage | 25% | 6% |
| Some opportunities to engage | 57% | 63% |
| Lots of opportunities to engage | 6% | 22% |
| Don’t know | 12% | 9% |
When asking participants to rate their agreement with various statements about engaging with government, 45% agreed to some extent that they know how to get in touch with the department about aviation skills, an increase from 33% in February 2023. Although 4 in 10 (39%) disagreed with this statement, it was an improvement from the 54% recorded in the previous year.
Approximately 1 in 5 (21%) agreed to some extent that they knew what support is available from the department on aviation skills (versus 13% in February 2023). A much larger proportion (57%) disagreed with this statement, but this was still an improvement from the 64% who disagreed with this in February 2023.
Please rate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about engaging with DfT on aviation skills
| Statement | Net: Disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Net: Agree | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I know how to get in touch with DfT about aviation skills (February 2023, 89 responses) | 54% | 11% | 33% | 2% |
| I know what support is available from DfT about aviation skills (February 2023, 89 responses) | 64% | 19% | 13% | 3% |
| I know how to get in touch with DfT about aviation skills (March 2024, 65 responses) | 39% | 17% | 45% | 0% |
| I know what support is available from DfT about aviation skills (March 2024, 65 responses) | 57% | 22% | 21% | 0% |
Responsibility for aviation skills
In the March 2024 survey, almost 7 in 10 (69%) thought the aviation industry is completely or mostly responsible for ensuring that the UK’s future aviation skills needs are met. This is the same proportion as recorded in February 2023. Around 1 in 3 (32%) thought the UK government is completely or mostly responsible. A similar proportion was recorded in February 2023 (33%).
In the March 2024 survey, 26% thought the aviation industry is somewhat responsible, with only 2% thinking they are not responsible at all (28% and 2% respectively in February 2023). Over half (56%) thought the UK government is somewhat responsible (versus 55% in February 2023), while 9% thought they are not at all responsible for ensuring that future aviation skills needs are met (a decrease from the 12% recorded in February 2023).
How responsible, if at all, do you think the UK government and aviation industry are for ensuring future aviation skills needs are met?
| Organisation | Not at all responsible | Somewhat responsible | Mostly responsible | Completely responsible | Don’t know/no response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK government (February 2023, 89 responses) | 12% | 55% | 26% | 7% | 0% |
| Aviation industry (February 2023, 89 responses) | 2% | 28% | 44% | 25% | 1% |
| UK government (March 2024, 64 responses) | 9% | 56% | 19% | 13% | 3% |
| Aviation industry (March 2024, 65 responses) | 2% | 26% | 43% | 26% | 3% |
Awareness of Generation Aviation
Awareness of the Generation Aviation programme has improved over the last year. In March 2024, almost three quarters (71%) had heard of the Generation Aviation programme (versus 57% in February 2023) and almost half (46%) knew what it was (versus 27% in February 2023). Around 3 in 10 respondents (29%) had not heard of the Generation Aviation programme, but this is a decrease from the 43% recorded in February 2023.
This question was used to separate the sample into those who knew of Generation Aviation (answered “Yes, I have heard of it and know what it is”) and those who didn’t (answered “Yes, I have heard of it, but don’t know what it is” or “No, I have not heard of it”) for the subsequent questions listed.
Are you aware of the Generation Aviation programme?
| Statement | February 2023 (89 responses) | March 2024 (65 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| No, I have not heard of it | 43% | 29% |
| Yes, I have heard of it but don’t know what it is | 30% | 25% |
| Yes, I have heard of it and know what it is | 27% | 46% |
Results from those who know the Generation Aviation programme
This section outlines results from those who said they knew of the Generation Aviation programme (answering “Yes, I have heard of it and know what it is”). The results are primarily from the March 2024 survey, but where comparisons have been made to the February 2023 baseline survey, this will be made clear.
Awareness of different elements of the programme
The most well-known elements (answered aware or very aware) of the Generation Aviation programme were the Aviation Ambassadors (97%), the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) STEM programme and the reach for the sky challenge fund (both 80%). Aviation Ambassadors was the element with the highest proportion of responders answering very aware, with 57% of people selecting this response option.
The elements with the least awareness (not at all aware and not very aware combined) were the future aviation skills research (60%), cost of pilot training research’ (57%) and educational partnerships (53%). The cost of pilot training research was the element with the highest proportion of participants not at all aware (20%), while Aviation Ambassadors and reach for the sky challenge fund had the least (0%).
How aware are you, if at all, of the following elements of the Generation Aviation programme?
30 responses were received.
| Scheme | Very aware | Aware | Not very aware | Not at all aware | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Ambassadors | 57% | 40% | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Reach for the sky challenge fund | 40% | 40% | 20% | 0% | 0% |
| CAA STEM programme | 40% | 40% | 17% | 3% | 0% |
| Recruitment events | 13% | 37% | 40% | 10% | 0% |
| Educational Partnerships | 10% | 37% | 40% | 13% | 0% |
| Cost of pilot training research | 27% | 17% | 37% | 20% | 0% |
| Future aviation skills research | 10% | 30% | 43% | 17% | 0% |
As a follow up, respondents were asked to indicate the elements they said they were aware of and to provide details on how they had heard about them. Some participants were aware of certain elements of the programme through being part of the programme in some way, for example, knowing an Aviation Ambassador, contributing to specific research, sitting on the board at associations, or attending launch events. Others knew of different elements of the programme through being in contact with the DfT generally, being in contact with the Aviation Skills team and being in contact with the CAA. This contact was through various partnerships which the DfT has with organisations, through networking events and via outreach work that both the DfT and CAA have done on promoting careers in aviation. Awareness was also raised through press releases, social media, or through direct contact with airports.
Relationship between the UK government and aviation industry
When those who knew of the Generation Aviation programme were asked to rate the relationship between the aviation industry and government within the last year, almost 6 in 10 (57%) rated it as good or very good in the March 2024 survey (a 10 percentage point decrease from February 2023). Around a fifth (17%) rated it as poor or very poor (although only 4% rated it as poor in February 2023), 20% thought it was neither poor nor good (versus 21% in February 2023) and 7% didn’t know (versus 8% in February 2023).
Overall, how would you rate the relationship between UK government and the aviation industry within the last year?
| Statement | February 2023 (24 responses) | March 2024 (30 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Net: Poor | 4% | 17% |
| Neither poor nor good | 21% | 20% |
| Net: Good | 67% | 57% |
| Don’t know | 8% | 7% |
When rating the relationship between industry and government in different areas, championing the sector (52%) and collaboration (45%) were most frequently rated as good or very good by those who knew of Generation Aviation in March 2024. This was closely followed by outreach (42%). Signposting training and opportunities had the worst overall rating (31% poor), along with championing the sector (21% very poor and poor, with 7% considering this very poor) and outreach (21% poor).
How would you rate the relationship between the UK government and the aviation sector in the following areas within the last year?
| Area | Very good | Good | Neither poor nor good | Poor | Very poor | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championing the sector | 7% | 45% | 17% | 14% | 7% | 10% |
| Collaboration | 7% | 38% | 31% | 10% | 3% | 10% |
| Outreach | 14% | 28% | 21% | 21% | 0% | 17% |
| Signposting training/opportunities | 0% | 31% | 14% | 31% | 0% | 24% |
| Research and data | 0% | 25% | 43% | 11% | 4% | 18% |
All questions had 29 responses apart from the research and data question which had 28 responses.
Participants were then asked to rate their agreement with the statement of:
- the aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme
- I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme
In response to the March 2024 survey, of those who were aware of Generation Aviation, 33% agreed that the aviation industry had been appropriately briefed about the Generation Aviation programme, a decrease from 42% in February 2023. Around a quarter (27% versus 21% in February 2023) disagreed and a further 4 in 10 (40%) neither agreed nor disagreed, compared to 29% in February 2023.
Around three quarters of participants agreed that they knew how to get involved with Generation Aviation (73%) when responding to the March 2024 survey, an increase from the 61% recorded the previous year. Around 1 in 10 disagreed with this statement (13% versus 17% in February 2023), which is also the same percentage that neither agreed or disagreed (13% versus 22% in February 2023).
Please rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about the Generation Aviation programme?
| Statement | Net: Disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Net: Agree | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme (February 2023, 24 responses) | 21% | 29% | 42% | 8% |
| I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme (February 2023, 24 responses) | 17% | 22% | 61% | 0% |
| The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme (March 2024, 30 responses) | 27% | 40% | 33% | 0% |
| I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme (March 2024, 30 responses) | 13% | 13% | 73% | 0% |
In the March 2024 survey for the statements of “The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme” and “I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme”, “don’t know” was no longer a response option.
Effectiveness of Generation Aviation
When asked how effective the Generation Aviation programme is at achieving its aims, just over half of those who knew the programme thought it was moderately effective (52% in March 2024 versus 58% in February 2023), though no respondents thought it was very effective in either survey. Around 14% of respondents to the March 2024 survey rated it as not very effective (versus 17% in February 2023) while 7% thought it was not at all effective (versus 4% in February 2023) and a further 28% didn’t know (versus 21% in February 2023).
How effective, if at all, do you think the Generation Aviation programme is at achieving its aims?
| Statement | February 2023 (24 responses) | March 2024 (29 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Not at all effective | 4% | 7% |
| Not very effective | 17% | 14% |
| Moderately effective | 58% | 52% |
| Very effective | 0% | 0% |
| Don’t know | 21% | 28% |
When asked about how effective elements of the programme are in achieving their aims in March 2024, Aviation Ambassadors (69%) and reach for the sky challenge fund (66%) had the highest proportion of very or moderately effective responses, while the cost of pilot training research and recruitment events had the lowest (17%). The worst rated element was the cost of pilot training research with 45% of respondents rating it as not very or not at all effective (with 17% rating it was not at all effective).
How effective, if at all, do you think the following elements of the Generation Aviation programme are in achieving its aims?
29 responses were received.
| Scheme | Very effective | Moderately effective | Not very effective | Not at all effective | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Ambassadors | 31% | 38% | 10% | 3% | 17% |
| Reach for the sky challenge fund | 28% | 38% | 10% | 0% | 24% |
| CAA STEM programme | 10% | 45% | 17% | 0% | 28% |
| Educational Partnerships | 3% | 34% | 14% | 0% | 48% |
| Future aviation skills research | 0% | 21% | 17% | 7% | 55% |
| Recruitment events | 3% | 14% | 24% | 7% | 52% |
| Cost of pilot training research | 0% | 17% | 28% | 17% | 38% |
Results from those who didn’t know of the Generation Aviation programme
This section outlines results from those who said that they didn’t know of the Generation Aviation programme (answered “No, I have not heard of it” or “Yes, I have heard of it but don’t know what it is”). The results are primarily from the March 2024 survey, but where comparisons have been made to the February 2023 baseline survey, this will be made clear.
Awareness of different elements of the Generation Aviation programme
The most well-known elements (answered with aware or very aware) amongst those who said they didn’t know about Generation Aviation were the Aviation Ambassadors (43%), CAA STEM programme (32%) and reach for the sky challenge fund (29%).
The elements with the least awareness (answered with not very or not at all aware) were the future aviation skills research and educational partnerships (both 83%), cost of pilot training research (77%) and recruitment events (74%). The cost of pilot training research and reach for the sky challenge fund were the elements with the highest proportion of participants not at all aware (60%), whist the CAA STEM programme had the least (34%).
How aware are you, if at all, of the following elements of the Generation Aviation programme?
35 responses were received.
| Scheme | Very aware | Aware | Not very aware | Not at all aware | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aviation Ambassadors | 14% | 29% | 14% | 40% | 3% |
| CAA STEM programme | 6% | 26% | 31% | 34% | 3% |
| Reach for the sky challenge fund | 9% | 20% | 9% | 60% | 3% |
| Recruitment events | 3% | 20% | 23% | 51% | 3% |
| Cost of pilot training research | 9% | 9% | 17% | 60% | 6% |
| Educational partnerships | 6% | 9% | 26% | 57% | 3% |
| Future aviation skills research | 3% | 9% | 26% | 57% | 6% |
As a follow up, respondents were asked to indicate the elements they said they were aware of and provide details on how they heard about them. Respondents were aware of certain elements of the programme through participation in the programme in some way, for example, receiving a grant, being approached to attend events and developing potential partnerships. Others had heard about different elements through:
- being in contact with an Aviation Ambassador
- promotional material and social media
- departmental updates and meetings
- attending outreach events
Relevancy of Generation Aviation
Around 8 in 10 (83%) thought that the Generation Aviation programme was relevant to their role, with 49% saying it was very relevant. A further 34% stated it seemed relevant. Around 2 in 10 (17%) thought that the programme was not very relevant to their role and nobody responded that the Generation Aviation programme was not at all relevant.
Relationship between the UK government and aviation industry
Those who were unaware of Generation Aviation were then asked to rate the relationship between the aviation industry and government. In March 2024, 17% rated it as good or very good in comparison to 22% in February 2023. Around 3 in 10 (31%) rated it as poor or very poor, compared to the 40% recorded the previous year. A further 43% thought it was neither poor nor good, compared to 29% in February 2023 and 9% responded that they didn’t know in both surveys.
Overall, how would you rate the relationship between the UK government and aviation industry within the last year?
| Statement | February 2023 (65 responses) | March 2024 (35 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Net: Poor | 40% | 31% |
| Neither poor nor good | 29% | 43% |
| Net: Good | 22% | 17% |
| Don’t know | 9% | 9% |
In the March 2024 survey, when rating the relationship between industry and government in different areas, championing the sector was rated as the most poor or very poor (49%), followed by collaboration (46%) and signposting training and opportunities (43%). Outreach was the highest rated area with around 1 in 10 rating it as good (11%). No areas were rated very good.
How would you rate the relationship between the UK government and aviation industry in the following areas within the last year?
35 responses were received.
| Scheme | Very good | Good | Neither poor nor good | Poor | Very poor | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outreach | 0% | 11% | 29% | 20% | 17% | 23% |
| Championing the sector | 0% | 9% | 34% | 23% | 26% | 9% |
| Collaboration | 0% | 9% | 29% | 26% | 20% | 17% |
| Research and data | 0% | 3% | 40% | 20% | 14% | 23% |
| Signposting training/opportunities | 0% | 3% | 34% | 23% | 20% | 20% |
Participants were then asked to rate their agreement with 2 different statements:
- ‘The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme’
- ‘I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme’
Amongst the responders to the March 2024 survey who did not know of the Generation Aviation programme, 62% disagreed that the aviation industry had been appropriately briefed about the programme (versus 72% in February 2023), whilst only 6% agreed (versus 2% in February 2023). A further 31% neither agreed nor disagreed (versus 17% in February 2023).
Around 8 in 10 (80%) responders to the March 2024 disagreed or strongly disagreed that they knew how to get involved with Generation Aviation programme (versus 78% in February 2023), while only 6% agreed in both surveys. A further 14% neither agreed nor disagreed (versus 13% in February 2023).
Please rate the extent to which you agree with the following statements about the Generation Aviation programme?
| Statement | Net: Disagree | Neither agree nor disagree | Net: Agree | Don’t know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme (February 2023, 64 responses) | 72% | 17% | 2% | 9% |
| I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme (February 2023, 64 responses) | 78% | 13% | 6% | 3% |
| The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme (March 2024, 35 responses) | 62% | 31% | 6% | 0% |
| I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme (March 2024, 35 responses) | 80% | 14% | 6% | 0% |
In the March 2024 survey, for the statements of “The aviation industry has been appropriately briefed on the Generation Aviation programme” and “I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme”, “don’t know” was no longer an response
Comparing the results of those who know Generation Aviation and those who don’t know Generation Aviation in March 2024
Almost 6 in 10 (57%) of those who knew of Generation Aviation thought the relationship between the UK government and the aviation industry has been good or very good within the last year. This is compared to those who don’t know Generation Aviation, where only 17% rated the relationship as good or very good.
Almost one third (31%) of those who didn’t know of Generation Aviation rated the relationship as poor or very poor compared to only 17% of those who knew of Generation Aviation, in this group nobody rated the relationship as very poor.
Overall, how would you rate the relationship between the UK government and the aviation industry within the last year?
| Rating | Those who don’t know Generation Aviation (35 responses) | Those who know Generation Aviation (30 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Very poor | 11% | 0% |
| Poor | 20% | 17% |
| Neither poor nor good | 43% | 20% |
| Good | 14% | 50% |
| Very good | 3% | 7% |
| Don’t know | 9% | 7% |
When asking participants to rate their agreement on the statement “I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme”, 73% of those who knew of Generation Aviation agreed that they knew how to get involved, compared to only 6% of those who didn’t know Generation Aviation (6%). Furthermore, only 13% of those who knew of Generation Aviation disagreed that they knew how to get involved, with nobody strongly disagreeing. This is in comparison to 80% of those who didn’t know of Generation Aviation, disagreeing that they know how to get involved with the programme.
I know how to get involved with the Generation Aviation programme
| Rating | Those who don’t know Generation Aviation (35 responses) | Those who know Generation Aviation (30 responses) |
|---|---|---|
| Strongly disagree | 37% | 0% |
| Disagree | 43% | 13% |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 14% | 13% |
| Agree | 6% | 53% |
| Strongly agree | 0% | 20% |
All participants’ feedback on relationship with government and the Generation Aviation programme, in March 2024
In the March 2024 survey, all participants were asked to provide written answers in response to questions about government engagement with the aviation industry and the effectiveness of Generation Aviation. These questions were not mandatory and so response numbers differ based on how many participants decided not to answer. It should be noted that where answers to the question ‘what is working well’ were negative, these responses were instead analysed as part of the ‘what could be improved’ question. This means that base sizes may be slightly lower or higher than specified across questions.
Participants were asked to provide information on what they thought was working well when considering UK government engagement with the aviation industry and 37 responses were received. The themes identified were:
- some participants identified engagement with the department as working well, with the government being seen as having an interest in the sector and willing to promote skills and job opportunities
- government is seen to be effective at outreach activities, raising awareness of aviation careers, inspiring young people to join the industry and advocating the importance of aviation
- some engagement and outreach activities mentioned included representation at events and work done in social media channels
- specific activities mentioned included the CAA STEM work, reach for the sky challenge fund, aviation ambassadors, work on developing a first officer apprenticeship programme, early engagement on the Global Aviation and Aerospace Skills Task force and the inclusion of commercial aviation representatives in high profile events
- some of the responses provided also suggest that there is a group of participants who felt that nothing, or very little, was working to promote the visibility of Generation Aviation
An industry stakeholder said:
I think the emphasis on outreach to young people and targeting under-represented groups is effective.
An industry stakeholder said:
The aviation ambassadors and having representatives who work in industry is a helpful bridge between the aviation industry and organisations. Individual civil servants working in aviation at the DfT do engage well with organisations such as ours.
A second question was asked on UK government engagement with the aviation industry. For this activity, participants were asked to provide their thoughts on anything they think could be improved and 42 responses were received. The themes identified were:
- improvement in communication for updates, general communication around wider strategy, aims and goals. It was suggested that regular briefings through industry forums should be established to provide feedback on future skills needs and to hear about available funding initiatives. Communication could be made through different mediums to capture industry interest when those in the industry have little time to specifically look for these initiatives
- the industry wants a more varied team to engage with by increasing the number of industry experts in government (such as those working in the CAA), plus increasing working alignment with other sources via engagement with equivalent teams in the sector (additional to engaging with government affairs teams). There was also a suggestion to allow the public to be represented in some form
- there was a range of comments about education and training with more recognition and support for apprenticeships plus support for smaller firms to offer apprenticeships. The cost of training and VAT on mandatory training were frequently cited as being a prohibitive factor in the technical development of the workforce
- there were multiple comments calling for the greater protection of airfields from closure and housing developments
- a range of responders felt that government should provide better advocacy of the aviation sector, showing public support in a more proactive way
- suggestions were made to decrease the number of requests made to industry as they have limited resource compared to previous years
Further questions then turned to focus on the Generation Aviation programme. The first question asked participants to provide details on what, if anything, they think is working well and 36 responses were received. The themes identified were:
- respondents particularly valued how Generation Aviation has promoted the visibility of the aviation sector through participation at various events, conducting outreach work at schools and colleges plus engaging with not-for-profit organisations. This work in turn has generated interest amongst younger people and helped to improve diversity in the sector. The Aviation Ambassadors programme was seen as particularly effective in achieving this as it helped to raise awareness of employment opportunities within the sector
- collaboration and partnerships arising from Generation Aviation were seen to improve communication
- government financial support, through initiatives such as the reach for the sky challenge fund, have been instrumental in supporting the industry initiatives which are intended to raise awareness around career opportunities in the aviation sector
- there were a range of participants who felt that nothing, or very little, was working currently and others who were not sure
An industry stakeholder said:
Its existence in itself is a very good thing. It’s (sic) pillars are just right, and it take the right approach to industry collaboration.
An industry stakeholder said:
We think the aviation ambassador programme is a great way of engaging industry representatives and having a group who can advocate for underrepresented people in the industry. We also think the RFTS challenge fund is really important to ensure that grass root organisations can engage more young people within the sector.
An industry stakeholder said:
I think it’s great to have the involvement of people from within the sector via the Aviation Ambassador programme who can draw upon their own personal lived experiences to highlight and target key messages.
A second question was also asked in relation to the Generation Aviation programme. Participants were asked to provide insight into anything they think could be improved with 35 responses received. The themes identified were:
- the most cited improvements were an increase in visibility, promotion, communication, regular updates on the programme and engagement. This supports the fact that many respondents were unaware of the programme at the time of completing the survey
- there were suggestions to improve visibility in new spaces with all aspects of the aviation industry to be considered and not just the commercial elements, by other government departments, local authorities and Chambers of Commerce
- there were suggestions to improve collaboration, with greater opportunities for businesses to engage with educational institutions, those ’on the ground’ who have experience and know what works plus collaboration across different elements of the programme. This is to ensure all bodies are aligned and up to date with developments
- the need to adopt a targeted forward look approach, producing action points from independent reports as well as overall horizon scanning for future activity
An industry stakeholder said:
Visibility needs to reach outside the industry to attract new people in aviation. In addition its (sic) important not to just focus on civil aviation, but charter, military, space and all aspects. There needs to be more impact, currently it seems to be more of a promotion for the DfT than actually to promote aviation roles.
An industry stakeholder said:
…We would like to see more opportunities for businesses to engage with educational institutions and get the leaders of schools excited about careers in aviation.
An industry stakeholder said:
More horizon scanning on how the Government can proactively feed into the sectors’ plans on skills so its (sic) not as reactive. Earlier criticisms are not so much focused on Generation Aviation, which has been very well progressed - but broader feedback on UK Government support of the aviation sector.
Participants were lastly asked about their preferences for keeping up to date with the Generation Aviation programme (March 2024)
All participants, a total of 64, were asked to select the ways in which they would like to be kept informed regarding the Generation Aviation programme (as many as appropriate). The most selected option was through email by the DfT (81%), followed by email from industry (52%), social media (39%) and regular industry forums (38%). Just over half (52%) wanted to be kept informed via a newsletter from the department. Those who provided further comment suggested updates on the programme at industry roundtables attended by the department, being directly involved and through media coverage. A small percentage (5%) said that they didn’t want to be kept up to date with the programme.
When asking how often, if at all, participants would like to be kept up to date with the Generation Aviation programme (62 responses), around 6 in 10 (59%) wanted to be kept informed on a quarterly basis, while a further 3 in 10 (31%) wanted to be kept up to date more frequently than this. Only 2% wanted to be kept up to date on a 6 monthly basis, with a further 3% preferring annual updates. A small percentage (5%) did not want to be kept up to date at all. Reasons for not wanting to be kept up to date included concerns around email inboxes being clogged up, lack of relevance and lack of open debate on Generation Aviation activities.