Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department made an assessment of the potential merits of funding the training of air traffic controllers to prevent redundancy during the covid-19 outbreak.

Supporting the aviation workforce is a key priority for the Department, especially for highly skilled and highly trained roles such as air traffic controllers. During the pandemic, the government provided a range of commercial support measures to the aviation sector, including the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, which provided critical support to workers across the aviation sector.

In addition, my department considered a range of measures to support skills retention, a key element for the sector’s recovery plan following the pandemic. That’s why in February 2021 the Department for Transport launched the Aviation Skills Retention Platform (ASRP) which allows former and current aviation sector workers who are currently out of work to register their skills, so they can be notified of relevant job vacancies, advice and upskilling opportunities.

In addition, in November 2021, the DfT launched the early-careers aspect of the ASRP, Talent View Aviation (TVA), to support early career skills development for people entering the aviation sector ranging from work experience, free training courses, and entry level roles.. Furthermore, we continue to deliver our skills outreach programme, Reach for the Sky, works with industry and educators to raise the profile of the roles available in the aviation sector, to inspire the next generation into aviation.