CSW Group are delighted to announce Flybe as Headline Sponsor for the Big Bang South West Fair 2019, working in partnership with Devon County Council. This innovative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) event, building on 9 years of continued success, will take place at Westpoint Exeter on Tuesday 25th June 2019.
Flybe will have a large presence on the show floor within the event, which provides a fantastic range of activities to engage and inspire the 6000 visiting students expected on the day. Engineers, pilots and cabin crew from Flybe will be on hand to talk to students and highlight the career opportunities available within the aviation industry.
Students can expect to have a go at flying a plane on their simulated flight activity, undertake an engineering challenge and experience a selection of aircraft maintenance based activities.
Speaking about this flagship event, Flybe’s CEO, Christine Oumieres-Widener said, “We are very happy to be the headline sponsor at the Big Bang event this year. It will be a fantastic opportunity to reach out to many young potential future pilots and engineers. At Flybe we strongly believe in inspiring young generations to pursue careers in aviation and the best way to do so, is to have them directly engage with our pilots and engineers who will be available at the stand to talk to them. Also, we have launched the Flyshe campaign which is designed to highlight the importance of addressing the huge talent shortage in aviation industry by inspiring young girls and women to consider roles that are traditionally male-associated. So I would like to use this opportunity to personally invite them to visit our stand and talk to us, as I am sure they will discover that there are no glass ceilings in the sky.”
The 2019 event will host the South West heat of the National Big Bang Competition. Students from across the region will enter STEM projects to be judged on the day by industry experts. The very best projects will progress to the national finals at the NEC, Birmingham in 2020. Additionally, we are delighted that Flybe are offering the winning team a spectacular experience day at their Exeter based Headquarters.
Paul Hobson, CEO, CSW Group said: “We are thrilled that Flybe will be our headline sponsor for this prestigious STEM event. Based in Exeter, they are a key employer in the South West offering careers within Engineering, Flight Operations and Technology; as such we are delighted that the aviation industry will be represented by them at the Big Bang South West.”
Andy Wood, Projects Director, Exeter and East Devon Growth Point said: “Flybe’s headline sponsorship of the Big Bang South West is a fitting reminder of the vital role that the aviation sector plays in the regional economy. With Exeter Airport, the headquarters of Flybe, just a few miles from the venue for the Fair, this is an excellent opportunity to inspire local children to pursue a career in aviation.”
Councillor Rufus Gilbert, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said: “This event continues to inspire and encourage young people in the region to get excited about the STEM opportunities available for their future careers; we are therefore delighted to be partnering with Flybe to support the Big Bang Fair South West 2019.”
The event is open to primary and secondary school students, as well as home-educated young people.
For more information about the Big Bang Fair South West visit
www.cswenterprise.co.uk/big-bang/
South West businesses interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at this inspirational event can contact bigbang@cswgroup.co.uk 01392 215501
Notes to Editors
The Big Bang is a national programme run by Engineering UK to bring Science and Engineering to life for young people. The programme has been delivered in the South West* region by CSW Group since 2010.
*The SW region covers; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, Dorset, Bournemouth, Poole, Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire.
CSW Group are transition management specialists. Offering information, guidance, and support to people and organisations as they move through different stages of their lives. A not-for-profit social enterprise; we reinvest any operating surpluses into new products and services, organisational development, and community based projects across the country.
Flybe is Europe’s largest regional airline and flies more UK domestic flights than any other airline – 53% of all UK flights within mainland Britain (excluding London). Flybe currently operates 187 routes serving 11 countries from 71 departure points in the UK and Europe* and is the largest scheduled airline by air traffic movements at Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Cardiff, Doncaster Sheffield, Exeter, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Jersey, Manchester, Newquay and Southampton airports**. Flybe operates a fleet of 76 aircraft – 54 Bombardier Q400, 6 Embraer E195, 11 E175 & 5 ATR 72s and was recognised as the most punctual UK-based airline (8th in Europe) in FlightGlobal’s annual On-Time Performance Awards (Jan’19) and shared top spot in the Which? ‘Best and Worst Airlines 2019’ report in the Short Haul Category (Jan’19)
*Flown under the Flybe brand including all routes on sale Apr 2019 – Oct 2019
**Source: CAA Aug ‘18