ATR is committed to promoting diversity in aviation-related professions
Proof that actions speak louder than words: on 24 September, ATR organised a gathering of the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA) at its headquarters in Blagnac, France. This initiative came just a few weeks after ATR announced the signature of partnership agreements with ENAC (the French civil aviation institution), to attract more women and international candidates into the aviation industry. Through these commitments, the aircraft manufacturer aims to achieve greater diversity within the aviation sector.Â
ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer and a committed stakeholder in the major challenges facing society, starting with the need to foster diversity. This concern is already evident in its human resources policy, which places particular emphasis on the recruitment and career development of women employees, while encouraging multiculturalism.
Determined to go a step further, ATRâs Human Resources department signed two major partnership agreements during the last Paris Air Show, with ENAC and the ENAC foundation. The goal is to act alongside and among female students in order to attract more women to aviation-related professions, and encourage applications from female engineers from other countries who have until now been largely excluded from our professions for cultural reasons
âATR is not only the worldâs number one regional aircraft manufacturer, we are also a leading company in terms of our commitment to tackling the major challenges of todayâs society, such as the need to promote inclusion.â
Olga Renda-Blanche, Human Resources Director, ATR
Attracting more women candidates
The first agreement concerns a series of concrete actions aimed at attracting more women candidates. Actions include âjob fairsâ targeting future female engineers, ATR tours geared to young female engineers and trainee pilots from ENAC, and ATRâs participation in ENAC events via the âElles Bougentâ (âwomen on the moveâ) association.
Creating gateways with Africa
The second agreement formalises ATRâs role as patron of an international solidarity project between female trainee pilots from ENAC and Senegalese female students from Mariama Bâ high school on GorĂŠe Island. The French students will act as mentors to the Senegalese high-school students, offering them an insight into the range of aviation-related professions through educational kits and a flight simulation software program developed jointly with the “Un Morceau de Ciel Bleu (A Piece of Blue Sky)â association. The most deserving Senegalese students will be invited to Toulouse, the aviation capital of Europe, in April 2020, to visit the major aerospace landmarks including the ATR assembly line. The project will be presented to industry professionals and the general public on 7 and 8 December, during the first edition of the âSaly Air Showâ in Senegal. The objective of this new air show is to generate vocations in aviation among young people in West Africa, and exchange ideas about how to develop the African aviation platform.
These initiatives illustrate ATRâs commitment to promoting the values that are an integral part of its DNA – innovation, eco-responsible performance, diversity and openness – among its teams and throughout the aviation industry in general.
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