How does our approach stand out from the rest?

At Impellam Project Services, our experts create strategies and solutions to help clients increase their digital fluency and embed accelerated change. Put simply, we work with you to understand your business goals and then partner with you to provide you with the means to achieve them. We bring new perspectives, fresh insights, and unrivalled expertise to help connect plans with actions. The goal? Efficient and effective project or service delivery – with outcomes achieved.

What can you expect from our services?

By engaging with our Impellam Project Services team, you gain access to a tailored, bespoke solution, aimed at resolving your business challenges. You can expect exacting standards of quality and compliance, project governance, and technical excellence from our teams. The passion, dedication, and expertise of our team means we consistently deliver results for each one of our clients.

What is a Statement of Works (SoW) agreement?

A Statement of Works agreement is a contract that captures the details of the services that we will deliver. It will usually outline the work that needs to be done, or the scope of work being provided, project deliverables, timelines, work location, and payment terms and conditions. A Statement of Work will usually be project, milestone or service based, typically with a fixed fee for delivering the goal that was promised at the beginning of the agreement. By providing meaningful metrics and strategic weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting, we provide you with tangible data and insights on our team’s performance. We focus on establishing the right framework at the start of any project to ensure our customers’ expectations are clear.

Closing engineering skills gaps in the aviation industry with Virgin Atlantic

How a strategic partnership is helping to close critical skills gaps in the aviation sector .

Virgin Atlantic has been a pioneer in the aviation industry since its launch in 1984. Known for its iconic red livery and exceptional customer service, the airline continues to connect the UK to over 32 destinations across the globe. But like many organisations in the aerospace sector, Virgin Atlantic has faced growing challenges in securing the engineering talent required to keep its fleet operating at the highest standard.

The Challenge

The aviation industry has been hit by a combination of factors in recent years. From post-COVID disruption and an ageing workforce to declining enrolment in specialist engineering pathways, the talent pool has been shrinking rapidly. Virgin Atlantic recognised that traditional pipelines, such as apprenticeships alone, would not be enough to meet the future demand for qualified aeronautical engineers.

To build a more sustainable, future-proof talent strategy, they turned to Impellam Project Services.

A Scalable, Strategic Solution

Through our Recruit, Train, Deploy (RTD) programme, we partnered with Virgin Atlantic to rethink how emerging engineering talent enters the workforce. Working collaboratively with their team, we built a tailored model that identified high-potential aeronautical engineering students from universities across the UK. These candidates were then supported through an 18-month development journey, combining technical skills training, leadership development, and hands-on experience within Virgin Atlantic’s engineering teams.

This approach not only filled immediate roles but also laid the groundwork for a robust, long-term pipeline of skilled, diverse engineers.

Impellam Project Services’ Recruit, Train, Deploy solution is well-established in solving critical skills shortages, equipping both early and experienced talent with in-demand skills to help our clients thrive.

How it works

Impellam recruits, trains and deploys talent to help bridge future skills gaps.

Recruit – identify candidates with high potential
Train – provide on-the-job learning led by industry experts
Deploy – embed candidates into business-critical roles

The 18-month postgraduate programme provides graduates with the opportunity to enhance their leadership experience alongside technical training, using the apprenticeship levy to fund leadership experience development through a partnership with ‘Raise the Bar.’ 

Programme highlights

Sourced and developed top aeronautical engineering graduates nationwide
Delivered technical and leadership training funded via the apprenticeship levy
Provided real-world experience in Virgin Atlantic's engineering operations
Enhanced workforce diversity and future-proofed the talent pipeline

Outcomes and Impact

The programme has received strong endorsement from Virgin Atlantic’s engineering leadership, with results exceeding expectations. By directly addressing the skills shortage through targeted, experience-led development, the airline now has a growing pool of talent ready to take on the demands of modern aircraft engineering.

Virgin Atlantic’s Head of Engineering nicknamed the programme the "Top Gun Academy” - a nod to the calibre of talent being brought in.

“We are thrilled with the programme's success. It has not only filled our immediate skills gap but has also laid a strong foundation for the future of our engineering. team. Matt Sharp, Head of Engineering, Virgin Atlantic”

Today, Impellam aims to place over half of all UK aeronautical engineering graduates through similar initiatives, expanding the reach and impact of Recruit, Train, Deploy across the industry.

Shaping the Next Generation of Aerospace Talent

This collaboration highlights the power of bespoke talent solutions to tackle complex workforce challenges. By combining early talent engagement, structured development, and an employer-led model, we’re helping Virgin Atlantic lead with confidence.