Guidance

Become a volunteer aviation ambassador: application guidance

Updated 22 September 2025

Applications to become an aviation ambassador are now closed.

Introduction

The aviation ambassador role is a voluntary role that helps meet the goals of the Generation Aviation programme.

This programme sees the UK government, industry and others, including the aviation ambassadors, work to help build an aviation workforce fit for the future, attract diverse and talented people and prepare for new technologies.

Read more about the Generation Aviation programme.

Our aviation ambassadors play an important role in championing the sector, inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals, and acting as role models for prospective aviation workers from all backgrounds.

This voluntary role presents a unique and exciting opportunity for you to share your skills and experience, particularly with young people and underrepresented groups, to highlight the wide range of opportunities available in aviation. There are 10 volunteer positions available.

As part of your role, we’ll ask you to help:

• promote aviation as an exciting and accessible career
• support efforts to champion diversity, accessibility and social mobility
• the Aviation Skills team in the Department for Transport (DfT) to promote policies and initiatives that tackle barriers to aviation careers

DfT will support you through suggestions of outreach and events, but it is expected that you source activities yourself in this voluntary role.

Activities could include:

• delivering presentations and keynote speeches 
• attending aviation events 
• outreach at schools, colleges or universities 
• writing blogs and articles to share the exciting opportunities that the aviation sector has offered you 
• using social media to raise the profile of aviation careers
• working with stakeholders to identify and understand the issues and trends of the sector to better understand the barriers to entering a career within the aviation sector, and the barriers for access and progression within the sector 

Objectives

The Aviation Ambassador Group has 3 main objectives:

1. Raise the profile of the aviation industry

Our aviation ambassadors will use social media and communication platforms to improve the visibility of all available opportunities. For example, they will showcase the wide variety of roles that are on offer in aviation such as those that are less understood or are overlooked.

2. Develop and deliver outreach programmes

Our aviation ambassadors develop and deliver bespoke outreach activities to young people and underrepresented or marginalised groups. This includes attending events designed to educate, inspire and engage young people who may not otherwise pursue opportunities within the sector.

3. Industry expertise

Utilising sector experience and professional networks to support the achievement of the Generation Aviation programme objectives. This will include identifying:

• current skills gaps, opportunities to futureproof the aviation workforce
• ways to enhance the resilience and diversity of UK aviation

Criteria

As this is a voluntary role, you will not be paid. However, expenses incurred while conducting pre-agreed activity as an aviation ambassador may be claimed, in line with Civil Service guidance.

We expect you to be able to demonstrate that you are involved in the aviation sector (job or hobby, for example). You will also be expected to commit to:

• the role of aviation ambassador during 2026 and 2027
• attendance at quarterly board meetings in March, June, September and December during 2026 and 2027
• regularly attend outreach activities at least one per month and report them using the tools and methods provided by DfT
• a one-day induction session in January 2026
• being predominantly based in the UK for the next 2 years

This is to ensure sufficient opportunity is provided to a broad range of dedicated individuals to champion the sector, inspire the next generation of aviation professionals and act as role models for prospective aviation workers from all backgrounds through an ambassadorial role.

You will be expected to pass a Baseline Personnel Security Standard check. If you do not pass this, we will have to withdraw your application.

How to apply

We are no longer accepting applications to become an aviation ambassador.

Marking criteria used to assess your application

The Aviation Ambassador programme aims to gain a wide range of aviation professionals with different roles, experience levels and relationships to the sector. For this reason, it is important to remember that while the assessment process is done on an individual basis, final selection should consider the variety of a cohort as a whole.

This is to ensure the ambassadors are promoting the industry rather than just their specific role. For example, if the top 10 scores were all achieved by pilots, the top-scoring individuals in other positions may be selected despite achieving a lower score, since their selection will enhance the breadth of positions the ambassadors cover.

Individuals will be assessed individually and scores will then be moderated to ensure that a breadth of aviation roles are represented. There will not be an appeals process following moderation.

Contact us

Any questions on the application process should be directed to: AviationAmbassadors@dft.gov.uk.

We will only provide guidance on the application process. We cannot provide advice on individual applications.

Data protection

During the application process, you will be presented with a privacy notice, which reads as follows:

DfT is carrying out this application process to appoint the 2026 cohort of aviation ambassadors.

The data submitted to this application is given by consent of the applicant. If, for any reason, you decide to withdraw consent for your application to be held, email: AviationAmbassadors@dft.gov.uk and your data will be immediately deleted from our databases.

Please note that this will immediately withdraw your application and you will no longer be considered for the role of aviation ambassador.

As part of the application, we’re asking for your name and contact details. This is to ensure that we can inform you of the result of your application and perform due diligence checks if you are successful in your application. We will only use them for this purpose. In addition, we ask about your experience in the aviation industry and qualifications for this role. If your answers contain any personal information, DfT will, under data protection law, be the controller of this information.

DfT’s privacy policy has more information about your rights in relation to your personal data, how to complain and how to contact the Data Protection Officer.

Your information will be kept securely on a secure system within DfT and destroyed within 3 months after the assessment process has been completed.

In addition to the above privacy notice, you will be asked to give explicit consent for DfT to store any special category data which could be entered in response to the questions. You are not required to present this data and your application will not be judged based on it.