Tag: 2025

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 12 December 2025.

Funding ensures young people from all backgrounds can learn about the varied, highly skilled jobs and future opportunities in aviation across the UK.

• £750,000 awarded to projects encouraging young people into careers in the aviation sector
• Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund goes to projects across the UK aiming to showcase career paths, boost skills and futureproof the aviation sector
• projects focus on getting young people from diverse backgrounds into aviation, creating access to opportunity in high-skilled jobs

Projects to inspire the next generation of aviators across the UK are set to get a boost as the government today (12 December 2025) announces a £750,000 boost to projects inspiring young people to explore careers in aviation.

From rocket building to roadshows, the projects benefiting from funding don’t just promote more conventional aviation careers, they also raise awareness of the varied, technical and emerging routes into careers in aviation that are less visible and associated with the sector.

The Reach for the Sky funding will support a future workforce that meets the demands of a rapidly growing aviation sector, following the government approving expansion plans for Gatwick and Luton and pushing forward a third runway at Heathrow to create thousands of highly skilled jobs.

Projects set to benefit include Tech, Engineering, Creative (TEC) Women, which will be awarded nearly £100,000 to deliver STEM career festivals in Cornwall, aimed at encouraging more girls into the sector.

Over £50,000 will also be awarded to East London Advanced Technology Training (ELATT), to inspire young people from deprived communities in East London into aviation careers through employer visits, workshops, clubs and creative projects.

Neurodivergent school children in Manchester will also be encouraged into aviation through the Mason Foundation, thanks to a £30,000 boost from the government.

Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister Keir Mather, said:

The UK has a proud history in aviation, which we are determined to continue by inspiring more young people to see the sector as a place where they can build their careers.

Reach for the Sky plays a vital role in that mission, helping to break down barriers to opportunity and encouraging the next generation to aim high.

Alongside securing the future of the aviation industry, this is about ensuring young people from all backgrounds can see and learn about the varied and often highly skilled jobs and future opportunities that will deliver growth across the country.

Other projects benefiting from the funding include:  

• Fantasy Wings – encourages girls and young people from ethnic minorities into the industry by providing interactive workshops in Birmingham, Manchester and London, along with flight training for a number of participants at the end of the programme.  
• Aerobility – supports pathways into aviation for the disabled community by providing accessible virtual simulator sessions in counties including Surrey, Staffordshire and Kent.  
• Get with the program – delivers a bespoke ‘moon landing coding adventure’ nationally, introducing coding and aerospace for students across the country.

Now in its fourth round, Reach for the Sky has backed dozens of projects across the UK to improve their offer of support for young people, including the Air League – a training provider based in London, aimed at unlocking aviation opportunities for underrepresented communities – and Codes4Drones who won the 2025 to 2026 ‘STEM provider of the year’ award for presenting drone coding workshops to primary and secondary school pupils across the country.

Jackson Smith, CEO of Fantasy Wings, said:

We at Fantasy Wings are delighted to receive this funding from the Reach for the Sky Challenge, a fantastic initiative dedicated to powering the next generation into aviation.

As Europe’s largest diversity-focused aviation programme, we’ve seen firsthand how access and opportunity change lives.

With over 5,000 graduates and 500 flying scholarships awarded in the last 5 years, this new support will allow us to expand our reach, enhance our programmes and create even more pathways for young people across the UK to explore and build careers in aviation.

Today’s announcement follows the launch of applications for the next cohort of Aviation Ambassadors in September, a group of industry professionals who work to raise the profile of aviation careers alongside undertaking their professional roles in the sector.

Alongside inspiring the next generation of aviation leaders, the government is also backing the development of technologies to help futureproof the sector. This includes greener aviation through the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, which will provide economic security for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market by guaranteeing a set price per unit for UK producers.

An additional £63 million is also being invested to speed up construction on new SAF production plants, to unlock the opportunities of the green fuels sector in aviation to deliver growth and create skilled jobs on the journey to reach net zero.

Caitlin Gould, TEC Women CIC and TEC Girls Director, said:

At TEC Women CIC, we are thrilled that our TECgirls Reach for the Sky Festival and Take Flight education programme has been funded to help more girls explore STEM roles in aviation and aerospace.

Our Take Flight festival has been building year on year, with over 500 girls and 1,000 people attending last year and our education outreach has provided practical hands-on-learning for over 200 girls across Cornwall, including a work experience week.

In 2026, we plan to continue to grow this programme, working with more industry partners and reaching new audiences across rural and coastal locations. Without support from the challenge fund, ambitious events like our festival would not be possible.

Tara Connelly, Programmes Manager at Bright Futures UK, said:

We’re incredibly grateful to receive this funding. It will make a huge difference to the young people we support in hospital and help us provide tailored aviation outreach to a demographic that has previously been excluded.

The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 11 December 2025.

No one should get behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs.

• Local Transport Minister joins forces with Sussex Police Chief to spotlight enforcement operations and raise awareness of the dangers of drink and drug driving during the busy festive season
• minister also teams up with Captain Morgan to raise awareness of the THINK! campaign to encourage drivers to opt for a 0% drink before getting behind the wheel
• comes ahead of the Road Safety Strategy and follows launch of new THINK! drug driving campaign – the first in a decade – which delivers a hard-hitting warning to young male drivers about the life-changing consequences of getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs

To tackle drink and drug driving during the festive period, Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood today (11 December 2025) joined Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner on a drive along to see first hand how frontline enforcement teams are keeping our roads safe this Christmas.

The minister met with local officers to take part in their annual seasonal crackdown on offenders, as part of ongoing collaboration between government, police forces and local partners to tackle dangerous driving behaviours.

This builds on the government’s commitment to make communities safer and ease pressure on the NHS.

Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said:

No one should get behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs.

This festive season, we’re working with police and well-known brands including Captain Morgan, Peroni and Heineken to remind drivers to make the right choice – and stick to non-alcoholic drinks – to make our roads safer for themselves and others.

We’re determined to tackle this growing issue, to help make our communities safer and ease pressure on the NHS.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner is National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing. She said:

Driving under the influence of drink or drugs is selfish and incredibly dangerous, putting the lives of your passengers, other road users and yourself at risk. We’re pleased to be partnering with THINK! On their new campaign which is highly impactful and coordinates with our enhanced enforcement of drink and drug driving offences over the December period through Operation Limit.

The message is simple, do not get behind the wheel if you have been drinking or taking drugs. Make the right decision and together, we will save lives.

The government has also teamed up with police enforcement operations and launched new adverts as part of its THINK! campaign, running online and out of home to target drug driving ‘hotspots’ across England and Wales using police data.

It is the first THINK! drug driving campaign in 10 years, a targeted, hard-hitting series of messages aimed at young male drivers, who remain disproportionately represented in drug-related road casualties. Latest figures show that around 90% of drivers impaired by drugs in collisions are male, with 4 in 10 aged between 17 and 30.

Earlier this week, the minister visited a pub in London to officially launch the Captain Morgan 0.0% x THINK! 0% ‘Captain of the Night’ campaign, spotlighting the importance of alcohol-free options for motorists. As part of the initiative, drivers will be offered a free Captain Morgan 0.0% and cola in selected Stonegate pubs nationwide.

The launch marks the continued and growing partnership between the government and major drinks brands to normalise 0% choices. Fronted by TV personality and radio presenter Sam Thompson, the first wave of the Captain Morgan partnership was designed to reach 17–24-year-old male drivers.

Both Heineken and Peroni have confirmed large-scale activations in the lead-up to Christmas to encourage drivers to choose their 0.0% products under the THINK! 0% banner.

These promotions follow THINK! 0% partnership activity delivered by both brands over the past year. Heineken will spotlight THINK! 0% messaging across its Star pubs, including on staff uniforms and via online advertising, and Peroni will team up with Greene King to share the THINK! 0% message via digital channels and promotions encouraging drivers to opt for 0%.

Ian Smith, Corporate Relations Director at Diageo GB, said:

Diageo is committed to supporting safe and responsible choices, particularly at a time of year when the risks on our roads increase. Captain Morgan 0.0’s partnership with THINK! highlights our continued focus on not only providing people with great-tasting alcohol-free alternatives, but also showcases a clear message that if you are driving, 0.0% is the correct choice for everyone’s safety.