Celebrations all around as 116 apprentices graduate from Heathrow Academy

Heathrow Academy apprentices celebrated their graduation with local business leaders, college principals and council representatives on Thursday, as their achievements were rewarded at a special event.

Since 2004, over 5,800 people have benefited from the opportunities provided by Heathrow Academy to learn new skills and move into employment, with 3,687 candidates finding new careers at the airport.

Heathrow’s Chief Executive Officer, John Holland-Kaye, said: “Heathrow is an exciting and challenging place to work and demands passion and dedication from everyone working here. In helping Heathrow fulfil its promise of ‘making every journey better’, all our graduates have taken their own journey to personal success.
“The Government’s decision to choose Heathrow as its preferred option for expansion means we can look forward to working with our partners and local communities to deliver an airport that is fair, affordable and secures the benefits of expansion for all.”

Fifty per cent of this year’s 116 graduates are from the five boroughs around Heathrow, and they will now join the 76,500 people who work at Heathrow – that’s one in five jobs in the local area.

Among those graduating were Liliana Bautista from Bracknell Forest and Scott Berry from Iver. Liliana, graduating from a business administration apprenticeship with car parking company APCOA, said: “Doing this apprenticeship has been an incredible experience and I’m really looking forward to the next steps in my career.”

Scott, who progressed from a level 2 apprenticeship in team leading to an advanced apprenticeship in management, said: “Being on an apprenticeship was a fantastic chance to earn while learning and the Heathrow Academy set me up to succeed in my career with good training, a structured programme and the support I needed to do well in my course.
“I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who is passionate about their industry and wants to make the most of every opportunity.”

The Heathrow Academy offers apprenticeships in business administration, customer service, hospitality, logistics, management, retail and team leadership from entry to advanced level.

Paula Stannett, Heathrow’s HR Director, said: “The success of Heathrow Academy apprentices is pivotal in building a talent pipeline at Heathrow for responsible and sustainable business growth. By providing credible and valuable training opportunities for our local communities, by creating careers and not simply jobs, we all benefit.”