An interview with… Janine Hornsby, CEO of The Air League

The aviation and aerospace sector faces a growing challenge: attracting the skilled people it needs for the future. As CEO of The Air League, Janine Hornsby is helping to tackle the aerospace industry skills gap and open doors to aviation and aerospace careers for people who might otherwise never have the opportunity. We spoke to Janine about these key issues and what the industry can do to help secure its own future.

Janine, thanks for taking the time. Tell us, what is The Air League and what does it do?

The Air League is one of the UK’s oldest and largest aviation charities. A key part of our work is awarding scholarships to young people who might not otherwise be able to access aviation careers because the barriers to entry can be so high. Industry training can be expensive, so we provide fully funded flying, engineering, gliding and drone scholarships, particularly for young people from underserved communities.

We’re also heavily involved in careers outreach and STEM. We work with schools, running workshops and introducing students to the huge range of aerospace careers available. It’s not just about becoming a pilot – there are so many different opportunities in the industry.

Alongside that, we focus on developing the skills employers are looking for, including communication, teamwork and critical thinking. Our motto is Changing lives through aviation, and that’s exactly what we aim to do, whatever career path a young person chooses.

Who do you support?

We mainly start working with young people in secondary school, although we’re developing programmes for primary schools too. We don’t have an upper age limit because career changes happen at every stage of life. We’ve supported people in their forties who have always wanted to work in aviation but never had the opportunity before, 

Why is The Air League so important?

For many people already working in the industry, The Air League gave them their first opportunity. We play a really important role in bridging the gap between education and employment.

I recently spoke to around 100 university students studying aviation-related subjects and not one of them had managed to secure work experience or a graduate role. They rely on organisations like ours to help open those doors.

You spent 12 years in teaching before moving into aviation. What made you change careers?

Teaching shaped everything I do today. I started in a challenging school and was asked to teach GCSE science despite being a performing arts teacher. I learnt the subject myself and taught it through drama techniques. The students ended up outperforming the national average.

But one former student came back to see me a few years later and told me he’d worked incredibly hard, got the grades and still couldn’t even get a job at a fast-food outlet. That really stayed with me. I realised schools were preparing young people for exams, but not necessarily for careers.

I wanted to be part of the solution, so I left teaching, retrained in marketing, completed an MBA while working and eventually joined Marshall Aerospace, where I looked after marketing for its apprenticeship programme before joining The Air League.

How serious is the aerospace skills shortage?

It’s very serious. The industry has known about the aerospace skills shortage for at least 20 years, and we’re still not close to fixing it.

We have an ageing workforce. As experienced people retire, they take decades of knowledge with them. We have apprentices coming through, but not enough people in the middle with the experience to replace the senior experts. The aerospace industry skills gap exists across so many roles – pilots, cabin crew, engineers and designers. There are fantastic career opportunities if we can help more people access them.

What’s preventing more young people from entering the industry?

There are several barriers. Many schools have stopped offering practical subjects like design technology, metalwork and woodwork because they’re expensive to run. That means some young people leave school without developing practical skills that really help if they want to become engineers.

There are also regional differences in training opportunities, and I think too many schools still encourage every student towards university. For some people, aviation apprenticeships are a much better route into the industry.

Young people from more privileged backgrounds often have family contacts or schools that can introduce them to opportunities. Many of the young people we work with come from families where nobody has ever worked in aviation, so they don’t always realise these careers even exist.

Is aviation still seen as an elitist industry?

I understand why people think that, but I don’t think it’s the reality. Once you get to know the people, it’s a really welcoming industry. It’s still male dominated in some areas, but I’ve never personally felt disadvantaged because I’m a woman.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a career in aviation or aerospace?

Think carefully about what interests you. If you’re practical and enjoy working with your hands, look at aircraft maintenance apprenticeships or degree apprenticeships, for example. They’re brilliant routes into the industry.

If your ambition is to become a pilot, apply for every scholarship you can find, volunteer where possible and network. The more experience you build, the stronger your application will be for highly competitive programmes.

For girls, we’re seeing progress, but there is still a long way to go. Only a small percentage of pilots are women, and that’s not good enough. I’d also encourage more girls to consider engineering and avionics. They’re fantastic careers and many women thrive in those roles.

It’s about believing you belong and knowing you can do it.

What does The Air League’s partnership with Artemis Aerospace involve?

Deborah (Co-founder) and the team got in touch because they wanted to support the next generation, and they’ve become valued corporate members.

We’re completely reliant on support from the industry to keep doing what we do. Deborah has also been a judge for our annual Global Innovators Challenge, where young people develop innovative ideas around sustainability. The winners present their ideas at the Sustainable Skies World Summit. What they come up with is so clever and creative – they’re an inspiration!

How can people support The Air League?

There are lots of ways. We’re always looking for more young members, more corporate members and donations of any size. Every contribution helps us create more opportunities for people who might otherwise never get the chance to pursue a career in aviation or aerospace.

To find out more

As a proud corporate member of The Air League, Artemis Aerospace is pleased to support the charity’s work in helping more people discover careers in aviation and aerospace. We’d like to thank Janine for sharing her time and expertise. To learn more about The Air League or find out how you can support its work, visit https://airleague.co.uk/.