National Apprenticeship Week: Doncaster-based apprentices vital to helping aviation business take-off after Covid-19

An aviation business which was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic is placing apprenticeships at the heart of its growth and recovery. 2Excel Group, which has bases at Doncaster Sheffield Airport as well as in Northamptonshire, Hampshire and Stansted Airport, has appointed two apprentices to its aviation operations team in Doncaster.

Louise Campbell, Group HR director at 2Excel, explained that the business initially recruited engineering apprentices to combat an ageing workforce and a shortage of skilled workers in aircraft engineering.

But, such has been the success of 2Excel’s engineering apprenticeships, the business decided to recruit an apprentice to its aviation operations team in Doncaster last year. The quality of applicants was so high that they recruited two.

Jordan Morris, aged 26, who lives in Doncaster, and Elissa Hennessy-Boyle, aged 18, from Sheffield, joined 2Excel Aviation at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, with their ground specialist apprenticeships delivered by Seetec Outsource.

Director of Ground Operations, Simon Spurgeon, said: “Elissa and Jordan have made a great start to their apprenticeships, and we applaud the positive contributions they are making, not just to their teams, but to our business and to the aviation industry.”

Jordan said: “My apprenticeship is really good. When I started, I’d been out of education for eight years, and I wasn’t sure how I would take to it. But our assignments relate to real-life situations.”

As a football fan, Jordan has really enjoyed arranging charter flights for Premier League football teams and even the England Under-21 team, as well as arranging coastguard flights. Jordan's ambition is to gain his Private Pilot’s Licence and, in his free time, he is starting flying lessons at the airport-based flying school.

Elissa, whose ambition is to become an air traffic controller, said: “I really like my job because no two days are the same. I’m so glad I didn’t go to university. Being in work and being able to earn money suits me.”

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