TURKISH AIRLINES TURNS TO LONDON MET TO HELP BUILD ITS NEXT GENERATION OF AVIATION LEADERS
WORK, FLY AND STUDY: TURKISH AIRLINES BACKS FLEXIBLE MASTERS ROUTE FOR EMPLOYEES
Turkish Airlines employees will be offered discounted access to seven postgraduate programmes at London Metropolitan University under a new education partnership designed to help experienced aviation professionals gain advanced qualifications without stepping away from their careers.
One of the world’s major international airlines is turning to a London university as part of its investment in the skills of its workforce.
London Metropolitan University has entered a partnership with Turkish Airlines that will give employees of the carrier, its subsidiaries and other affiliated companies access to corporate scholarships across seven Masters programmes.
The agreement, formally signed at London Met’s Holloway Campus on 24 September, combines online postgraduate education with optional face-to-face workshops in selected cities.
For London Met, the deal provides a route into the professional development market of a major international employer. For Turkish Airlines, it offers staff an opportunity to pursue postgraduate qualifications while remaining in their existing jobs.
STUDY WITHOUT STEPPING AWAY FROM WORK
The seven programmes have been selected around aviation, business and related professional disciplines.
A central feature of the partnership is flexibility.
Courses will be delivered online, allowing employees in different locations to combine postgraduate study with their existing responsibilities.
Students will also have the option of attending in-person workshops in key cities, adding face-to-face teaching and professional networking to the online model.
Professor Julie Hall, Vice Chancellor at London Metropolitan University, said the arrangement reflected the university’s efforts to work directly with major employers.
“This partnership demonstrates London Met’s commitment to working closely with leading employers to create flexible, accessible opportunities for professional development,” she said.
“Turkish Airlines is a globally recognised organisation, and we are delighted to support its employees in developing the skills, knowledge and expertise they need to progress in an evolving aviation sector.”
THE BATTLE FOR AVIATION SKILLS
The partnership also reflects a broader challenge facing large employers: how to continue developing experienced staff without requiring them to leave the workplace to study.
In aviation, where employees can work across different countries, functions and operating environments, conventional campus-based education may be difficult to combine with a full-time career.
Flexible postgraduate education offers an alternative.
Turkish Airlines Chief Human Resources Officer Abdulkerim Çay said investing in employees was an important part of the carrier’s strategy.
“At Turkish Airlines, we believe that investing in our people is essential to our continued success,” Çay said.
“Our partnership with London Metropolitan University will offer our colleagues new opportunities to expand their knowledge and support their professional growth. We are pleased to support their development through flexible learning opportunities that they can pursue alongside their careers.”
EXPERIENCE AS A ROUTE INTO POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION
Another notable part of the programme is how employees will enter it.
London Met says flexible entry routes will recognise the professional backgrounds and experience of working applicants, supporting the university’s wider objective of increasing access to higher education.
Its long-standing education partner NEXT Education Group will manage administration, admissions and student support, creating a dedicated route for eligible Turkish Airlines employees entering the programmes.
That potentially extends the opportunity beyond employees who have followed a conventional academic pathway.
BRINGING THE UNIVERSITY TO THE EMPLOYER
Sean Flynn, Executive Dean of London Metropolitan University’s School of Business, Environment and Law, said the speed of change within aviation was increasing demand for professionals capable of combining practical industry knowledge with advanced academic study.
“We are proud to be partnering with Turkish Airlines to provide its employees with flexible opportunities to undertake postgraduate study alongside their careers,” Flynn said.
“The aviation sector is evolving rapidly, creating a growing need for professionals who can combine industry experience with advanced business and specialist knowledge.”
“This partnership allows us to bring our academic expertise directly to working professionals and support the development of the sector’s future leaders.”
That last point captures a potentially important shift in the postgraduate education market.
Rather than universities relying solely on individual professionals deciding independently to return to education, partnerships of this kind take postgraduate programmes directly into large employers.
For universities, that can create access to cohorts of experienced international students. For companies, education becomes another element of workforce development and potentially employee retention.
For employees, meanwhile, the proposition is simpler: continue building a career while simultaneously building the qualifications that could shape its next stage.
