Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support is available to heritage aviation organisations to develop and promote STEM skills.

We recognise the importance of increasing the uptake of STEM skills across all engineering sectors, including heritage aviation. The Year of Engineering 2018 encourages aviation partners to engage young people with the sector, such as the Royal Aeronautical Society’s ‘Cool Aeronautics’ programme.

Through its grant-making, the Heritage Lottery Fund supports the development of new skills to look after and share our rich aviation heritage and collections. Their approach encourages applicants to consider incorporating apprenticeships, volunteer training and the creation of learning resources to develop the STEM skills needed to conserve and digitally interpret over 100 years of aviation history. This has resulted in a number of HLF-funded aviation projects supporting STEM skills, including the development of an Aviation Heritage Skills course at Brooklands Museum.