Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, is introducing its first equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) training programme for employees as part of its Flying’s For All strategy.
The airline is investing more than £300,000 in rolling out the course, which will get underway in January 2023. The training will reach every single member of staff, regardless of their role.
Employees will spend about three hours out of the business learning about protected characteristics, examining cases and rehearsing real-life scenarios.
The training will be delivered in person by the airline’s HR team at the company’s Head Office in Glasgow and across Loganair’s network to ensure every individual has a chance to complete the course. New recruits to the business will receive the training as part of their induction, and an advanced version of it will be introduced in 2024 once all employees have completed the initial course.
The programme is being offered as part of Loganair’s Flying’s For All EDI strategy which was established following the formation of an internal Diversity and Inclusion Forum.
The Forum is chaired by First Officer James Bushe, who two years ago became the first HIV-positive person in Europe to pilot commercial flights after challenging medical regulations and completing his training with Loganair.
Lyndsay Kennedy, Head of HR, Loganair, said: “We operate in an industry where almost all of our training is mandated for obvious safety reasons, but our equality, diversity and inclusion training will go beyond the flight deck and be available to all.
“The training is being introduced as part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, Flying’s For All, which was introduced about a year ago.
“Before launching Flying’s For All, we conducted an extensive staff survey to understand the wider picture across Loganair.
“The good news is that many of our people didn’t know why they were being consulted because they already consider Loganair to be a diverse and inclusive employer, but it became clear there were three key themes which are very important to our staff – LGBTQ+ issues, mental health and wellbeing, and equality for women. “Over the next couple of years, we will be prioritising these areas so that every member of our workforce feels valued and respected.”
Lyndsay added: “We are absolutely committed to developing and nurturing our employees and helping them to achieve their career goals, regardless of their background, gender or orientation.”
Loganair employs about 800 people across its network in the UK and Scandinavia.
