Affinity Flying Training Services (Affinity) has teamed up for another year with the Air and Space Institute (ASI) to deliver a series of workshops for young, aspiring aviation enthusiasts. The sessions were tailored to give students support and direction, offering opportunities for young people with interests in aeronautics to speak with experts in the aviation industry and learn about exciting career pathways.

Affinity, most known for being a provider of aircraft supply and maintenance services for the first stages of the UK Military Flying Training System, has played a vital role to date in encouraging young people to pursue careers in aviation. Operating across the UK from RAF Barkston Heath, RAF Cranwell and RAF Valley, the company makes significant contributions to the UK’s military aviation sector.

Affinity and ASI launched the series of workshops at the start of the year for students who are currently studying on their L3 pilot and aviation operations and L3 aircraft engineering programmes. The sessions provided insight for the students, who were able to meet with representatives from Affinity who shared their knowledge and experiences. The workshops experienced high levels of engagement from both the students and industry experts, offering the opportunity for Affinity to contribute to helping develop the next generation of aviation experts.

Across all sessions there were large levels of participation, with approximately 60-80 students attending the first event at Newark College. The following 4 sessions took place at the Affinity premises at RAF Cranwell. The sessions included a CV workshop run by the Affinity HR team, which gave the students guidance on how to craft a standout CV. The students then had the opportunity to hear the stories and ask career and industry specific questions from key members of the Affinity team including members of the Engineering, Delivery, Continuing Airworthiness Management, and Aviation Safety teams. After the series of speeches, the students took a tour of the aircraft hangar and offices, where they saw first-hand Affinity’s operations, learned a bit more about the aircraft Affinity service, and got to view the cockpit of one of the Phenoms.