Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme
and live on Freeview channel 276
After participating in the programme over the course of the 2021-22 school year, the children, ranging from ages 12-15 have been awarded with completion certificates in a ceremony held at Gatwick Aviation Museum.
Passport to Change is Virgin Atlantic’s flagship community STEM programme. This year, children have had the opportunity to learn from the airline’s brilliant teams from across the company including airports and clubhouses, finance and cargo.
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Hide AdMany of the students have completed the programme with a project aimed at designing their own airline.
Virgin Atlantic recognises that there is a shortage of young people studying subjects that will help them develop skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), especially in economically deprived areas. There’s also a gender imbalance, with far fewer girls choosing to study STEM subjects than boys.
Chief people officer at Virgin Atlantic, Estelle Hollingworth, commented: “Here at Virgin Atlantic we believe that everyone can take on the world. We encourage an inclusive environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging; where our people, our customers and our partners are united, and minority groups are represented.
“We want the careers of the future to be inclusive to all, regardless of gender, race, or economic status. Through Passport to Change, we set out to address some of the issues preventing this by inspiring young people to achieve their dreams.
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Hide Ad“I am incredibly proud of our teams and all the students that have participated this year, and I congratulate them on this achievement.”
See more: Euro 2022: Crawley primary school attends victorious England women’s Euros match against Norway, Crawley secondary school bid to redevelop facilities gets approval from the Government’s ‘School Rebuilding Programme’, Crawley school leavers 2022: Pictures of The Gatwick School, Langley Green, Northgate, Seymour, Southgate, The Mill and more
Virgin Atlantic plans to run the Passport to Change programme throughout the 2022-23 academic year.