Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme

Students at Thomas Bennett Community College have completed Virgin Atlantic’s Passport to Change programme.
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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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Many of the students have completed the programme with a project aimed at designing their own airline.

Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programmeCrawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme
Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme

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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“I am incredibly proud of our teams and all the students that have participated this year, and I congratulate them on this achievement.”

Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programmeCrawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme
Crawley secondary school students graduate Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Passport to Change’ programme

Virgin Atlantic plans to run the Passport to Change programme throughout the 2022-23 academic year.