As an air traffic controller, I usually manage aircraft in a very busy sector of airspace. However, as millions of people across the world are put on lockdown, the number of flights across the UK has dropped dramatically and I’ve been put on furlough. It’s unusual to have time off like this and I wanted to try and fill it doing something meaningful. A friend told me about a community group looking for volunteers to make urgently needed personal protective clothing for the NHS and care homes, so I got stuck in.

With Mother’s Day around the corner and given the fact we could all do with some cheer right now, we thought it would be fun to chat to some of the mums at NATS who have, in turn, inspired their children to join us.

For #WorldSleepDay we spoke to our air traffic controllers about the importance of a good night’s sleep and working around the challenges of shift work.

At the end of 2019 we launched our brand new Early Careers offering with exciting apprenticeship, undergraduate and graduate opportunities. For National Apprenticeship Week 2020, we spoke to a few of our current students about their course and route into NATS…

I’ve had a longstanding interest in pursuing a career in the aviation industry and having spoken to employees and past placement students about how beneficial the Early Careers Scheme is and how stimulating it was to be a part of NATS, it was a no brainer for me to apply.

Air traffic controllers might not be in the business of saving lives, but every day they – along with our engineers – help thousands of people safely reach their destinations. And the same is true on Christmas Day, with controllers across the country giving up time with family and friends to help make sure others can get to theirs.

I applied to NATS because I knew I didn’t want to go to university as it wasn’t the best option for me. Instead, I applied to three different companies for engineering apprentice roles and after receiving offers from two out of the three, I ultimately decided that NATS’ Early Careers Scheme was the best option for me.  

Find out more about our Return to Work recruitment programme.

Having worked at NATS for 13 months as an Industrial Placement student, I was incredibly happy to be offered a graduate role in the Supply Chain department this year.  In fact I was so keen to come back to NATS as a graduate that I think I said yes before my manager had even finished asking me!

Studying Mathematics can often be highly theory based and sometimes lacking real life context so when searching for a placement, I was looking for a role that used the skills I had gained throughout my education within an interesting context. Although I had little knowledge of air traffic control, it sounded like a unique place to work and fit what I was looking for perfectly.