Major UK airline signs deal with a Gloucestershire business
Just eight years after setting up his Gloucestershire business its founder finds himself the go-to solution to a major challenges hindering the growth of the UK's biggest and most successful airlines.
Dear readers,
Welcome to the Friday edition of The Raikes Journal.
Usually we paywall the main story on our Friday editions to help pay for what we do - original journalism about Gloucestershire, in particular about its businesses, education, training providers and charities - but today is an open edition!
You can thank our Founding Partners, Founding Members and paying subscribers for that.
Readers waiting for our lead on the Gloucestershire firm that’s heading for growth after working with British sports brand Gymshark, a story we mentioned earlier this week, will have to wait a few more days, I am afraid.
Today we run with the usual briefing notes, diary dates for the weekend, and then the main story - all about a county firm that finds itself a go-to solution for one of the biggest challenges facing the world’s airlines.
For the man who started the business less than a decade ago, the recognition is a further endorsement of his vision - but also of his decision to invest in Gloucestershire.
By the way, it is a proud week for The Raikes Journal. As well as being the only independent news website in Gloucestershire approved by the BBC to use its copy, our stories have been chosen to also feature on The Cotswold Listener website.
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Have a great weekend.
Best regards,
Andrew Merrell (editor).
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Your briefing notes...
🏗️ A multi-million pound deal will see a Gloucestershire housing developer transform the former Great Western Yard railway depot near Gloucester Railway Station into 300 new homes. County housing association Bromford says it has completed a deal to purchase part of a former railway depot in the centre of Gloucester and that it will work with Eutopia Homes to complete the scheme. Read more.
🟪🎉 Gloucester has won another coveted purple flag, an award given by ATCM the Association of Town and City Management to destinations that provide a vibrant, diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture, as well as a safe and welcoming night out. Apparently the increasingly popular Food Dock was a significant factor in helping Gloucester walk away a winner yet again, with the multi-million pound Forum development at the other end of the city also catching the attention of the judges.
🏗️💷 Wanted – tenant for cafe/pub at centre of £200m regeneration: As the £100m Forum development rises up in the centre of Gloucester the city council is turning its attention to shaping the future of the former Chambers public house. Empty for almost five years, pitches have come into the now council-owned property before, one to turn it into a community cafe in partnership with Gloucester Brewery, but they have come to nought. Now the council is beginning to talk it up again. Read more.
🏘️ Gloucester’s largest social housing provider, GCH (Gloucester City Homes), has been celebrating its commitment to creating a range of opportunities for young people. GCH has been supporting Learning at Work Week and the Chartered Institute of Housing’s Choose Housing campaign. Recognising the value of creating ongoing and innovative pathways into housing, GCH took on three young people in 2023 under the GEM Programme, a UK-wide housing sector talent development programme. Read more.
🏗️ Cheltenham businesses can now kickstart their net zero journey with decarbonisation audits and grants up to £5,000 - and here’s how! Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC), in partnership with Severn Wye Energy Agency, has launched the CheltenhamZero Carbon reduction audit fund – offering tailored reports detailing guidance on carbon reduction and energy efficiency measures specific to individual businesses. Read more.
🧴 Economies of scale indeed! Forest of Dean-based soft drinks supremo, Lucozade, said its decision to reduce the size of the sleeve label on its bottles by half might have cost it £6.5 million, but it has resulted in a 60 per cent reduction in the weight of that sleeve, removing 956 tonnes of new plastic a year. The maths works out because the brand produces an estimated 3,000 bottles of Lucozade Energy alone every minute!
🎪 It’s a Gloucestershire institution and a business, like no other. Through charm, daring, even magic, it continues to amaze and thrive. Giffords Circus has announced a familiar face has returned to its helm as it marks its 25th anniversary. Toti Gifford, one of the circus’s founders, has stepped back in as chairman, taking over from director Guy James, who will remain with the business.
🏗️ As the £100 million-plus Forum development opens its doors in Gloucester the business chosen to drive the scheme says it is helping its tenants attract staff back to the office. The mixed-use regeneration project is being brought forward by Gloucester City Council and developers Reef + Partners, and after seeing anchor tenant Fasthosts settle into the new building it’s taken the opportunity to promote the remaining space. Read more.
Diary dates…
Friday…
📖 Cheltenham Poetry Festival takes place today and Saturday. Venues include St Andrew’s Church, Francis Close Hall Chapel, Cheltenham Friends Meeting House and Cheltenham Playhouse. More here.
Saturday…
🏉 RAF takes on the Army at Kingsholm. First up are the women’s teams, at 11am, followed by the men’s at 3.15pm. Tickets are £5 juniors and £17 adults. More here.
🏳️🌈 Pride in Cheltenham, the town’s annual celebration of its LGBTQ+ community. Due to take place from noon until 6pm in Imperial Gardens following a Pride March along the high street from 11am. More here.
Sunday…
🚣🏿♀️🚣🏼🛶 Gloucester Dragon Boat Festival, organised by the Rotary Club of Gloucester Severn is due to take place at the city's Docks from 9am to 5pm. More here.
* The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read here - original stories about our county - is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne; our sponsors, Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
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Major UK airline signs deal with a Gloucestershire business
Just eight years after setting up his Gloucestershire business its founder finds himself the go-to solution to a major challenges hindering the growth of the UK's biggest and most successful airlines.
From one man’s vision to a business recognised by the the UK’s very biggest airlines - Gloucestershire business Skyborne has revealed its latest lucrative partnership with another major airline to train scores of new pilots.
Last year Lee Woodward’s business, Skyborne Airline Academy, was headline news when British Airways revealed it had set aside some £21 million to train up to 200 new pilots, and that it would be using the Staverton-based operation to achieve that.
It was massive on two fronts – one, for Skyborne, which has invested heavily in its school at Gloucestershire Airport and in accommodation and facilities in the county, and because it stripped away the potentially prohibitive costs of training.
And now Woodward, a former British Airways pilot who started Skyborne eight years ago, has announced more news - another partnership, this time with major UK operator Jet2.com, to help it deliver up to 60 new pilots in its first year alone.
The new initiative – open to candidates aged between 18 and 55 – will “remove the financial barriers to pilot training, offering aspiring aviators a direct route to the flight deck with the UK’s third-largest airline”.
A fully funded 18-month Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) training course at Skyborne can cost around £105,500. This includes both theoretical knowledge and flight training, and accommodation.
Aviation giant Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook report the aviation industry worldwide will need to find 674,000 more pilots by 2043 to meet the increasing passenger levels. That’s an extra 37,444 new pilots per year.
Woodward, chief executive officer of Skyborne, and Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, both believe part of the solution to encourage more potential pilots to step forward is to remove the training costs.
“We’re excited to support the next generation of pilots through this fully funded opportunity, building on our solid experience of delivering similar airline-sponsored programmes,” said Woodward, clearly thrilled by the new relationship.
“Jet2.com is an award-winning airline with a strong commitment to quality and accessibility, so this is a proud moment.
“Its decision to work with Skyborne reflects the value of our training and shared commitment to removing the costs that prevent talented individuals from pursuing a career in aviation.”
Those lucky enough to secure a place on the programme at Gloucestershire Airport would train in the DA42 aircraft (a four-seat, twin-engine, turbodiesel aircraft), and if they land roles with Jet2.com they would be considered skilled enough to take the controls of the airline’s Boeing 737-800NG or Airbus A321neo planes.
Starting salaries for the first year are estimated to be in the region of £30,000, rising to £65,000 when the pilot progresses to captain level, usually around year four, £55,000 as a Major First Officer, £95,0000 as a Major Captain with earnings potential rising to potentially as much as £250,000-plus, according to Skyborne.
Although the company points out that according to Payscale, the average first officer base salary is £42,780, and the average captain’s salary is £101,340.
Competition is expected to be fierce for places. When BA’s Speedbird Pilot Academy announced Skyborne as its official partner for the academy in September 2023 the scheme saw more than 20,000 applicants in its first year.
Heapy called the launch of the new, fully funded pilot training programme, “momentous news for aspiring pilots”.
“We know that the cost of training is an obstacle to many people who dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot, so we are very proud to announce this groundbreaking programme which will help us make that dream become a reality for many, including those who may have thought that the opportunity was beyond their means,” he said.
“By opening this incredible opportunity up to so many people from so many backgrounds, we expect the programme to be extremely popular, so we look forward to receiving applications and helping many wonderful flying careers take off.”
Jet2.com is the UK’s third largest airline, flying from 13 UK airports to more than 70 destinations across Europe and beyond, and according to Jet2 plc it turned over £6.225 billion in its financial year ending March 2024, a 24 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
Training will take place at Skyborne’s bases in Gloucestershire, Bournemouth, and its Vero Beach site in Florida in the United States of America.
A subsistence allowance will be provided by Jet2.com and Class 1 medical costs will be covered (all proffessional pilots require a Class 1 demical certificate). Trainees will also benefit from Jet2.com pilot mentors and airline immersion events.
As well as being between 18 and 55 years old candidates must also hold a valid passport and the unrestricted right to live and work in the UK. No previous flying experience is required.
Skyborne’s last set of company accounts showed a business with a £13.5 million turnover and a profit of £3.6 million. Staff numbers rose from 120 in 2020/21 to 140 in 2022.
Applications are now open and will remain live for up to three weeks. For a full list of entry requirements and to apply visit www.jet2careers.com/pilots/jet2flightpath/info.