Photo: By Pierre Albouy at Airspace World 2024
Photo: By Pierre Albouy at Airspace World 2024
Learning to communicate
Overall, from the day at Airspace World and the survey, it is clear that Gen Z members want to be enablers of change and play a role in transitioning the industry to new technologies and business models. This desire must be balanced with ATM’s necessary caution, the need for risk management and safety is paramount.
“And this goes back to the original point about the need for more discussions,” concludes Gilmore. “There needs to be an innovative approach that allows for learning, mistakes and a diversity of views in the right context.
“Yes, ATM is a safety-critical industry, but that doesn’t mean it can’t accept change or new perspectives. In fact, it does that every day. And that attitude must be part of its culture if an ANSP wants to shape the future. Engaging with Gen Z will improve the industry.”
CANSO will release a Diversity and Inclusion paper in June 2024.
Gen Z survey
To help understand the many different attitudes towards ATM, CANSO and Firstfruits conducted a survey that generated 336 responses from 18–29-year-olds. There were some insightful findings.
Especially clear was the passion for the industry. “And that is the exact word the respondents used, passion,” says Ben Stanley, CEO, Firstfruits. “We saw it in conjunction with sustainability, for example, not only in general terms but also from those who would choose the industry to make a difference.”
When it comes to the attraction and retention of talent, understanding the reasons behind such passion is key. Stanley says this is an area ripe for more exploration. “Aviation is still an attractive industry,” he notes. “People talk about it being exciting, but we need to explore that further. Why does it appeal to the next generation?”
The survey revealed career development and upskilling was important to Gen Z, and so is an important attraction strategy too. If an organisation can demonstrate a dynamic culture and clear pathways to progression, then it will attract staff.
“We must assume Gen Z knows everything about an organisation because the information is easy to come by online and there is social media too,” says Stanley. “Organisations must therefore think about the attraction strategies they can control to be authentic and attractive. For ANSPs, this means communicating a clear strategy because only 45 per cent of respondents agreed that ANSP leaders set an inspiring vision.”
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) also came across strongly although it was not necessarily a decisive sector and Gilmore accepts that progress has been made.
All the data from the survey will be crucial. Although ATM has an abundance of operational data, in the area of people, there are few metrics on which to rely. Organisations need good data – skill levels, attitudes and so forth – about their people that leads to action. Firstfruits is studying how to turn this information into tangible and reliable data points that can be the basis of insightful workforce decisions and engines of organisational change.
“It was a great day,” says Josh Gilmore, Consultant at Firstfruits and one of the voices of tomorrow. “There was a good buzz at the event and seven under-30s presenting. There was also a CEO breakfast that enabled more direct conversations and valuable one-to-one time.”
But Gilmore stresses that though it was a positive start, there are bigger conversations ahead, and the initiative must be followed up. “There are lots of different views,” he says. “The next generation is not homogenous, all thinking the same way. Everybody needs to be open to dialogue.”
On the final day of Airspace World, CANSO ran the Tomorrow’s Voices initiative to highlight the role of the next generation of talent in air traffic management.
Photo: By Pierre Albouy at Airspace World 2024
Overall, from the day at Airspace World and the survey, it is clear that Gen Z members want to be enablers of change and play a role in transitioning the industry to new technologies and business models. This desire must be balanced with ATM’s necessary caution, the need for risk management and safety is paramount.
“And this goes back to the original point about the need for more discussions,” concludes Gilmore. “There needs to be an innovative approach that allows for learning, mistakes and a diversity of views in the right context.
“Yes, ATM is a safety-critical industry, but that doesn’t mean it can’t accept change or new perspectives. In fact, it does that every day. And that attitude must be part of its culture if an ANSP wants to shape the future. Engaging with Gen Z will improve the industry.”
CANSO will release a Diversity and Inclusion paper in June 2024.
Learning to communicate
To help understand the many different attitudes towards ATM, CANSO and Firstfruits conducted a survey that generated 336 responses from 18–29-year-olds. There were some insightful findings.
Especially clear was the passion for the industry. “And that is the exact word the respondents used, passion,” says Ben Stanley, CEO, Firstfruits. “We saw it in conjunction with sustainability, for example, not only in general terms but also from those who would choose the industry to make a difference.”
When it comes to the attraction and retention of talent, understanding the reasons behind such passion is key. Stanley says this is an area ripe for more exploration. “Aviation is still an attractive industry,” he notes. “People talk about it being exciting, but we need to explore that further. Why does it appeal to the next generation?”
The survey revealed career development and upskilling was important to Gen Z, and so is an important attraction strategy too. If an organisation can demonstrate a dynamic culture and clear pathways to progression, then it will attract staff.
“We must assume Gen Z knows everything about an organisation because the information is easy to come by online and there is social media too,” says Stanley. “Organisations must therefore think about the attraction strategies they can control to be authentic and attractive. For ANSPs, this means communicating a clear strategy because only 45 per cent of respondents agreed that ANSP leaders set an inspiring vision.”
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) also came across strongly although it was not necessarily a decisive sector and Gilmore accepts that progress has been made.
All the data from the survey will be crucial. Although ATM has an abundance of operational data, in the area of people, there are few metrics on which to rely. Organisations need good data – skill levels, attitudes and so forth – about their people that leads to action. Firstfruits is studying how to turn this information into tangible and reliable data points that can be the basis of insightful workforce decisions and engines of organisational change.
Gen Z survey
“It was a great day,” says Josh Gilmore, Consultant at Firstfruits and one of the voices of tomorrow. “There was a good buzz at the event and seven under-30s presenting. There was also a CEO breakfast that enabled more direct conversations and valuable one-to-one time.”
But Gilmore stresses that though it was a positive start, there are bigger conversations ahead, and the initiative must be followed up. “There are lots of different views,” he says. “The next generation is not homogenous, all thinking the same way. Everybody needs to be open to dialogue.”
On the final day of Airspace World, CANSO ran the Tomorrow’s Voices initiative to highlight the role of the next generation of talent in air traffic management.