Girls in Aviation Day: ensuring a path for future leaders in aviation

The aviation industry is making changes to ensure it’s a more inclusive environment for women in all sectors, from the cockpit and control room to office-based roles. To maintain this momentum, it’s essential to spark a passion for aviation and STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) in girls from an early age.

As a driving force for female creativity and talent in the industry, Women in Aviation International (WAI), hosts an annual Girls in Aviation Day (GIAD), which took place on September 25. From its inception in 2015, GAID has focused on inspiring girls aged between eight and 17 by providing knowledge and opportunities in aviation and STEM, through instructional activities, career panels, educational resources and scholarship programmes. 

As members of the aviation community, we have a collective responsibility to show bright, young, female minds that our industry is a space in which they can excel. At Caeli Nova, we always set out to build a diverse and inclusive team and we’re proud to say over half of our technical team are women. This inclusivity has not only maximised our creativity, which is critical for us as a growing start-up, but has also made Caeli Nova a place where women can flourish and feel comfortable in their workplace environment. 

Fostering a sense of belonging for all employees is a fundamental pillar of our culture. Our CEO, Tim Wakefield, spoke to StartUps Magazine on why workplace inclusivity matters and said: “Feeling strongly connected and having a sense of belonging within your workplace can be hugely motivating and can encourage employees to go above and beyond their day-to-day activities to deliver exceptional work for the company and fellow colleagues.”

To reach a younger pool of candidates and to encourage more women to start a career in aviation, Caeli Nova offers university students a 10-week internship to learn first-hand from some of the best engineers, developers and medical teams in the aviation industry, enabling the selected students to enrich their studies during the summer period.

To celebrate GIAD we spoke to our interns to find out how their internships went and what they have taken away from their time with us.

Michaela Jurkovicova, software developer intern

“I’ve learnt so much from the team, which will help me in my studies. This is my first proper job, where I’ve really felt part of a company. For a student joining a workplace environment, there is a whole new level of responsibility and stress, especially at the start when you can feel like an imposter. Overcoming this fear is something I have always struggled with, but working at Caeli Nova has really helped me to build up my confidence and, for that, I’m so thankful to the team!”

Daria Eimbcke, strategy intern 

“I found out about Caeli Nova from the London Business School, where I study. I was curious to find out more about the company and its Cordillera product. I saw a presentation from two people from Caeli Nova and quickly felt it would be a great learning opportunity. One thing I will take away from my internship is the energy and empowerment I’ve experienced, and how a fun environment for your team can help to get the very best from you.”

Kristina Calver, design engineer intern 

“I applied for an internship at Caeli Nova as I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to apply my chemical engineering knowledge from university. Every day was different and I got to learn so much from each team member. During my time, I’ve managed to pick up on lots of aerospace terminology and acronyms, which will be very useful for my future roles.”

At Caeli Nova, we’re driven by the value that diversity and inclusion bring to our company and we hope others will join in and recognise the importance of initiatives such as Girls in Aviation Day. By doing so, it will help to inspire broader possibilities for girls and support continued innovation in the aerospace industry.