Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 15 January 2024.

Mentors selected to nurture next generation of aviation professionals and 10 schemes to share £750,000 in the Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund.

In a pioneering initiative to inspire the next generation of aviation professionals, Aviation Minister, Anthony Browne, has today (15 January 2024) announced the appointment of 10 new aviation ambassadors.

With a lineup ranging from a TikTok influencer, who specialises in showing life behind the scenes at airports, to a seasoned RAF Air Cadet commander with over a decade’s experience and a private pilot licence, the new ambassadors have been selected to inspire and guide the next generation of aviators.

As the sector continues to grow following the COVID-19 pandemic, having a young and diverse workforce that can embrace and adapt to new challenges – whether that be new technologies, cleaner travel or emerging trends – will ensure the UK is at the cutting edge of the aviation industry.

Over the next 2 years, the ambassadors will serve as mentors and advocates, attending schools, mentoring events and workshops to showcase their experience and encourage young people to use their skills in aviation. As well as delivering their own bespoke outreach activities to underrepresented groups, the ambassadors will also offer advice on where pathways into aviation can be created or improved – making it easier for young people to join the sector.

Aviation Minister, Anthony Browne, said:

As the aviation industry evolves, these new aviation ambassadors will shine a light on this rewarding sector, attracting talented individuals who might otherwise miss their opportunity.

These ambassadors will help to attract even more innovation and creativity to the industry, showcasing the opportunities available in this exciting new era of new technology and decarbonisation.

One of the new ambassadors is Alice Goodwin, a design and development engineer at Virgin Atlantic with a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and ambitions to become a chartered engineer. With a unique role in avionics and extensive outreach experience, she is a mentor to young people at 4 aviation charities supporting people of colour to take up aviation careers.

New aviation ambassador, Alice Goodwin, said:

Aviation engineering is a dynamic and interesting industry, full of passionate and inspiring individuals. I am really looking forward to being an ambassador and having the platform to showcase the amazing opportunities available in our industry to young people.

To further inspire the next generation of aviation professionals, 10 schemes at the forefront of inspiring and engaging young people have been awarded a share of £750,000 from the next round of the government’s Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund.

For those who have previously struggled to get a foothold in the industry, the aim of the fund is to dismantle barriers and target schemes that serve as entry points for many, supporting individuals from underprivileged backgrounds or underrepresented groups – creating a more inclusive and accessible pathway into the exciting world of aviation.

Winners of this round’s Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund include Flight Crowd, a not-for-profit organisation providing aviation bootcamps throughout the country to give hundreds of people opportunities to learn and connect with the industry and London City Airport, which offers multiple STEM workshops and events on business mentoring and skills.

Michael Spiers, Chief People Officer at London City Airport, said:

We are delighted to have been awarded funding from the DfT’s and CAA’s Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund to help inspire the next generation of aviators.

London City Airport delivers a range of skills and education initiatives – such as our annual STEM in Aviation Day event – to inspire hundreds of students across east London and this funding will help build on this important work in 2024.

Mariya Tarabanovska, founder of Flight Crowd, said:

We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our Propel into Future Flight programme to new horizons, thanks to the generous support from the Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund for the second consecutive year.

The enthusiasm and engagement we’ve witnessed from communities across the UK during our boot camps have been truly inspiring. Empowering young minds with the skills and knowledge essential for shaping the future of aviation remains at the core of our mission. And with this continued funding, we are excited to reach even more locations and diverse backgrounds.

This financial support represents an important step in the government’s goal to support the industry’s efforts to build a skilled, diverse and passionate workforce for the future – helping boost the economy and keep the UK at the forefront of global aviation.

Organisations meeting the criteria for the Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund were able to apply for a share of £750,000, with funding decisions agreed by a joint panel of the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – which administers the fund on DfT’s behalf.

Sophie Jones, Head of Organisational Capability at the UK CAA, said:

Young people are our future, and aviation is no exception. The work entrusted to these new aviation ambassadors in inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals is incredibly important, ensuring the sector continues to thrive and meet the challenges of the evolving technological landscape.

We’re also excited to see the work done by the successful applicants of the Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund, which we support and know is vital in providing an entry point into the world of aviation and aerospace.

Both the aviation ambassadors and Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund are cornerstones of Generation Aviation – an ambitious government-industry programme dedicated to raising profiles of different aviation careers, removing barriers and attracting diverse and talented people so we can unleash the full potential of the sector.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 15 January 2024.

New measures could generate up to £100 million extra over 10 years to resurface roads across England.

A crackdown on disruptive roadworks could cut congestion for millions of drivers and generate up to £100 million extra to resurface roads, as the first key measures from the government’s Plan for Drivers are delivered today (15 January 2024).

Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, has launched a street works consultation on a series of measures to prevent utility companies from letting roadworks overrun and clogging up traffic as a result.

The consultation seeks to extend the current £10,000 per day fine for overrunning street works into weekends and bank holidays as a deterrent for working on the busiest days for road travel. Currently, utility companies are only fined for disruption on working days. The measures could double fines from £500 up to a maximum of £1,000 for companies that breach conditions of the job, such as working without a permit.

The plans would also direct at least 50% of money from lane rental schemes to be used to improve roads and repair potholes. Lane rental schemes allow local highway authorities to charge companies for the time that street and road works occupy the road.

As a result, the measures could generate up to £100 million extra over 10 years to resurface roads while helping tackle congestion, cutting down journey times and helping drivers get from A to B more easily.

Launching on National Pothole Day, the consultation is part of a series of measures from the government’s Plan for Drivers, a 30-point plan to support people’s freedoms to use their cars, curb over-zealous enforcement measures and back drivers.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said:

After investing an extra £8.3 billion to resurface roads across England, the largest ever increase in funding for local road improvements, this government continues to back drivers with these new measures from our Plan for Drivers.

Our new proposals seek to free up our roads from overrunning street works, cut down traffic jams and generate up to £100 million extra to resurface roads up and down the country.

Roads Minister, Guy Opperman, said:

Being stuck in traffic is infuriating for drivers. Too often traffic jams are caused by overrunning street works.

This government is backing drivers, with a robust approach to utility companies and others, who dig up our streets. We will seek to massively increase fines for companies that breach conditions and fine works that overrun into weekends and bank holidays while making the rental for such works help generate up to an extra £100 million to improve local roads.

While it’s essential that gas, water and other utility companies carry out vital maintenance work to provide the services we all rely on, the 2 million street works carried out in England in 2022 to 2023 have cost the economy around £4 billion by causing severe road congestion and disrupting journeys.

The consultation comes after this government introduced a performance-based street works regime to ensure utility companies resurface roads to the best possible standard, and new lane rental schemes where utility companies can be charged up to £2,500 per day for street works.

The measures can also help boost active travel by preventing street works from disrupting walking, wheeling and cycling while also providing opportunities to improve pavements and pedestrian crossings and make repairs to pavements and cycle lanes.

Edmund King, AA president, said:

Overrunning roadworks and poorly reinstated roads from utility companies frustrate drivers and cause unnecessary congestion, and trench defects can damage vehicles and injure those on 2 wheels.

We are pleased that the government is looking to extend the fines for over-running street works, invest more of the surplus fines in roads and ensure that those who dig up the roads repair them to a high and timely standard.

In addition, the government plans to make all temporary, experimental or permanent restrictions on traffic digital. These so-called traffic regulation orders (TROs) include things like the location of parking spaces, road closures and speed limits.

Making these digital means they must now be added to satnav systems, ensuring drivers have the most up-to-date information, making journeys easier and paving the way for more reliable autonomous vehicles.

RAC Head of Policy, Simon Williams, said:

Drivers shouldn’t have to put up with temporary roadworks for any longer than is necessary, so we’re pleased to see the government is looking to do more to guarantee that utility companies minimise disruption by carrying out roadworks as quickly and efficiently as possible. They should also leave roads in better condition than they found them, which unfortunately is hardly ever the case at the moment.

The measures follow the biggest ever funding uplift for local road improvements, with £8.3 billion of redirected High Speed 2 (HS2) funding – enough to resurface over 5,000 miles of roads across England – as the government continues to be on the side of drivers and improve journeys for more people, in more places, more quickly.

Kent County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Neil Baker, said:

I welcome the launch of the government’s street works consultation to consider measures aimed at preventing utility roadworks overrunning. We have already piloted a pioneering lane rental scheme on some of our roads, which encourages utility companies to work in the most efficient way to minimise disruption for the traveling public in Kent.

I will continue to work with government, the Department for Transport and other stakeholders to find ways we can reduce congestion in order to keep Kent moving.

Clive Bairsto, Chief Executive of Street Works UK, said:

Utilities perform a vital role in connecting households, working to the highest standards, while complying with rigorous inspections to ensure works are high quality and lasting.

We look forward to engaging constructively with government throughout this consultation, representing our members and the wider industry, to ensure both utilities and local authorities can deliver infrastructure works while giving customers and road users the speed of delivery, lack of congestion and transparency they expect.