MANCHESTER AIRPORTS GROUP – MAG – PROVIDES SKILLS & JOBS HOTBED

A new report has found that airports are a ‘skills & jobs hotbed for London, the North West, the North East, Midlands and the South West regions as  MAG’s four UK airports bring £4 billion economy contribution and a skills boost for future generations as new training & academy initiatives take-off.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG), serving 44 million passengers and handling 639,000 tonnes of airfreight every year, has issued a new report underlining the increasing importance of regional airports, with a growing economic contribution, jobs creation and education benefitting local communities across four regions of the UK.

Left: Stockport College’s Manchester Airport Academy

One of the UK’s biggest airport operators, MAG – which owns London Stansted, Manchester East Midlands and Bournemouth airports – has published its latest CSR Report, outlining strengthening links with local people and support for businesses, in order to improve access to new economic opportunities and international trade.

And in line with Government calls to ensure young people have the skills they need to take the jobs that are being created; MAG has committed to supporting education and the development of valuable workplace skills – including extending its Airport Academy Model that helps local unemployed people back into work – as its four airports continue to generate new jobs.

MAG CSR Report Highlights:

• Data compiled for the report suggests that, collectively, MAG’s four airports support 45,200 full time employees and contribute £4 billion to the regional economies where they are based.

• 668 people who were unemployed have been placed into employment on the airport sites in the last year through MAG’s Airport Academies and 1,194 people have been referred for jobs by them.

•  Throughout 2013/14, MAG airports invested £300,000 in community groups and charities in the areas surrounding its airports, bringing much needed support to 229 separate organisations – funded by fines from aircraft that infringe strict noise level regulations.

• Following MAG’s acquisition of London Stansted, an estimated that fifty million people live within a two hour drive of a MAG airport. This means 70% of the UK population have accessibility to 275 routes across the world.

Neil Robinson, Corporate Social Responsibility Director for MAG, comments:

“By supporting and facilitating the performance of other industries at a time when trade is increasingly international, aviation makes an important contribution to the economy of the UK, especially given our geographical position as an island on the edge of Europe.

“As this report demonstrates, MAG also makes a contribution in its own right – our airports are a skills and jobs hotbed, and continue to have an increasingly positive impact on their local regions through employment opportunities, the economic benefits of goods and services supplied to the airports and, in turn, the spending of increased income in the local area.

“We have long recognised that managing the business in a responsible and sustainable way is an integral part of our operations and an important component of our success. Our aim is to target benefits locally to maximise regional impacts and by setting out a clear strategy, which accords with our enduring values, we have provided a clear focus and a firm foundation for our work.”

The Airport Academies success story

MAG has developed specialised employment and skills academies at its three largest airports, Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands.

The Academies aim to break down the barriers to local people gaining employment at the airports and this year alone 663 people have received specialist training at MAG’s Airport Academies and 1,194 people have been referred for jobs by them.

All three academies are located on the airport sites, sponsored by MAG and run by specialist employment and training organisations.

They were set up to tackle barriers to employment, such as lack of skills or training, personal confidence due to long-term unemployment, lack of awareness of job availability at the airport, or the perceived inaccessibility of the airport. 

Neil Robinson, Corporate Social Responsibility Director for MAG, added: 

“We are determined that we will continue to work closely with our local communities to understand and respond to their concerns, to use their feedback to guide our development and to ensure that they share the benefits of our success.

* “Our Airport Academies give unemployed people the vital skills, confidence and experience they need in order to be able to secure work. We have also continued to build our support for education and the development of valuable workplace skills. MAG’s commitment to operating responsibly and contributing to the economic development of the regions in which we operate underpins how we run our business.”

The most recent Airport Academy was opened in June 2013 at East Midlands Airport.

**The new CSR report also details MAG’s commitment to responsible and sustainable growth by outlining the progress it has made in mitigating its impact on the environment. 

The report is available to download in full at www.magworld.co.uk/sustainability.