As founding members of the Equal Skies Charter – created by our corporate charity partner, Aerobility – we are committed to improving accessibility within the aviation and aerospace industries and encouraging others in the sector to do the same.
“When it comes to disability inclusion, nobody has a monopoly on good ideas, and therefore collaboration and shared learning are the lifeblood of the Equal Skies Charter,” says Harvey Matthewson, Advocacy Manager at Aerobility.
A recent Equal Skies member meeting highlighted the group’s commitment to fostering inclusivity. “By working with our partners, the wider industry and the disability community, we have created a group that shares openly, challenges each other, and advocates for real change for disabled individuals seeking fair employment within the sector,” Harvey added.
The agenda was rich, with discussions ranging from diversifying STEM recruitment (science, technology, engineering and maths) to understanding disability and previewing the upcoming Destination Equal Skies 2025 conference, which will be held in April.
Annabel Honour, Head of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at STEM recruiter Matchtech, provided valuable insight into effective ways to attract a more diverse talent pool into STEM roles.
“Having the right data is essential for identifying barriers in the recruitment and hiring process and making meaningful change. In engineering and technology industries, where diversity has traditionally been a challenge, we need to break down those barriers and ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities. By working in collaboration with our client communities and partners like Equal Skies, we can accelerate the changes we want to see.”
Collaborations with partners like Matchtech highlight the importance of inclusive hiring and role-model behaviour as a basis for equality – something that is not only reflected in a recent partnership between Gattaca Solutions (sister-company to Matchtech) to supply skilled contingent workers to NATS, but also a message that is reinforced by the upcoming event ‘Destination Equal Skies 2025’.
Building on last year’s success, the upcoming conference aims to expand discussions on disability inclusion in recruitment, with keynote speeches from industry leaders, interactive workshops, and collaboration opportunities designed to inspire change.
“The need for positive discussion about employment inclusivity is more important than ever. The Equal Skies Charter reflects this proactive approach, stimulating discussion and action through engaged partners. Ultimately, this shared learning and ideas factory will make aviation and aerospace better employers of disabled people, reflecting the wider society that is its customer base,” shared Mike Miller-Smith, Chief Executive of Aerobility.
Did you know…
The Equal Skies Charter is a collaboration between leading aviation and diversity advocates Aerobility, NATS, Matchtech, 2Excel, Air Partner, Air Service Training, Blackbushe Airport, Bristow, Carbon 60, dnata, Evenbreak, Fafali Aircraft, Farnborough Aerospace Consortium, Guidant Global, London Biggin Hill Airport, Metal Seagulls, Saxon Air, The University of West London and UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
