Frontier evaluation of Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund highlights how outreach initiatives can help get young people interested in aviation careers.
In October 2022, the Department for Transport (DfT) launched the Generation Aviation programme. This is a joint project between HM Government and industry that aims to raise the profile of aviation careers and remove entry barriers so that the sector can build a workforce fit for the future. As part of this, the Reach for the Sky (RFTS) Challenge Fund was designed to specifically focus on outreach work.
DfT commissioned Frontier Economics and SYSTRA Ltd to design and deliver monitoring and evaluation activities for the RFTS Challenge Fund. The approach focused on the measurable immediate outcomes of the 2024 wave of the RFTS, given the diverse range of projects funded, the long-term nature of the intended outcomes and considerations around proportionality.
The approach included a process evaluation (which considers the experience of applicants when applying for funding and implementing their projects) and a light-touch impact evaluation (which focuses on outputs and immediate outcomes in terms of the type of outreach activities, scale of audiences engaged and change in awareness of opportunities in the aviation sector).
Key findings:
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Across the five projects explored as part of this evaluation, more than 30,000 individual young people were directly engaged. The projects engaged a diverse set of young people.
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Satisfaction with events was high. A high proportion of attendees learnt what they wanted to as a result of taking part or would recommend the programme to others.
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Most projects impacted participants’ awareness of jobs and opportunities in aviation via school-based sessions, career courses and career fairs.
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Participants realised for the first time that people working in aviation are themselves diverse. A significant proportion of young people could imagine themselves working in aviation in the future after their engagement.
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Many young people were motivated to learn more about aviation or take a next step
We regularly work for public and private sector clients to appraise and evaluate the benefits and costs of transport and labour market interventions.
Click here to read the full press release Reach for the Sky evaluation
For all media enquiries, please contact Alex Charlwood on alex@arclex.com
Author
Associate Director
Manager
20 February 2025
