On National Engineering Day (November 5th), leading leisure airline Jet2.com is calling on the Government to give more young people an opportunity to become engineers in the aviation industry, by introducing higher funding rates for engineers within the reformed growth and skills levy.

The airline, which employs over 1,000 engineers across the UK and is currently training over 30 apprentices on its four-year level three engineering apprenticeship programme, has today published data which shows how training costs dramatically exceed the funding available.

Although the funding cap is currently set at £27,000, the actual cost to train each engineer is three times more than that. With more than a quarter of the aviation engineering workforce set to retire inside the next decade, the airline is calling for urgent reform in the upcoming Budget to address this skills shortfall.

In addition, Jet2.com has also called on the government to reverse its decision to lower the age limit for Level 7 apprenticeships to 21, a decision shutting out many people from advanced programmes such as engineering.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com said: “With over 1,000 engineers across the UK, including at our new Manchester Airport hangar, Jet2 has tremendous opportunities for apprentice engineers, providing well-paid jobs with great career opportunities.

Aviation is grounded without these trained engineers, so it is vital that the Government addresses the skills shortage which is now staring the industry in the face. These simple reforms do not just address this shortfall, they give people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to train in vital, highly skilled jobs.”