ROYAL AIR FORCE
OPENS ITS DOORS
FLYING START
Rinova have partnered with the Royal Air Force (RAF) as one of our 18 key employers in PanOut. This promises to be an exciting collaboration and the RAF were keen not to waste any time in getting things off the ground, offering a group of young people the opportunity to travel to Brize Norton to find out more about opportunities in catering hospitality and food and accommodation services within the RAF.
First Visit to RAF Brize Norton
In May, 2017, 12 pupils from Ernest Bevin College in Wandsworth attended a bespoke open day at RAF Brize Norton, where they experienced a day on a fully operational RAF base.
The day began with an introduction from the Squadron Leader hosting the visit, and her team of Airmen and women. It had been an unusually early start for the young people and they were welcomed with refreshments and an introductory film on careers and lifestyle on offer in the RAF.
One of the first things that struck both the staff and pupils was the broad range of career pathways that exist within the RAF and just how accessible these opportunities are to young people. Whilst there are many opportunities to progress within the RAF, it also became clear that there are also less barriers in terms of educational attainment than the pupils might have imagined. Accessibility, inclusion and very real opportunities for young people, regardless of background or educational attainment were key factors, which impressed both staff and pupils.
This general introduction to Royal Air Force recruitment was followed by a comprehensive tour of the base. The students were impressed but also surprised at the facilities available on the base (swimming pool, bowling alley, football courts, gym etc) and said that they got a real sense of ‘community’ during their tour.
“The event was a real eye opener for all of our students and has really sparked a huge interest in what they want from their future. There are many who now see the RAF as a genuine career path and for us as a school in inner city London and knowing the difficulties to get into suitable careers faced by our young students this has provided a huge amount of confidence in applying and also being successful in joining the RAF.
As a result of this experience, we are now discussing how we can promote these opportunities to other groups of young people across our provision and we look forward to working closely with the RAF over the next 18 months and beyond.”
Nick Mason, Head of Year, Ernest Bevin College
What the day involved:
- Day in the life of a fully operational RAF base
- Introduction from Squadron Leader, Airmen and Airwomen
- Tour of Brize Norton RAF base
- Visit of Voyager aircraft and meeting RAF cabin crew
- Meeting RAF chef in the Officer’s Mess
- Talk on the breadth of career options in the RAF