In his keynote address at the 2016 Responsible Business Summit, Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, announced five new pledges to the airport’s local residents promising to deliver economic benefits for them with expansion and being a better neighbor with or without expansion. The five pledges highlight work already underway and also point to the airport’s ambitions in the future if it is allowed to expand.
Heathrow’s five pledges are:
1.Help our communities prosper by providing up to 40,000 jobs, training opportunities and careers to benefit local families with expansion.
Through the current work of the Heathrow Academy, which last year helped over 500 local unemployed people secure employment at the airport; and in the future, through our Skills Taskforce, we will addres our local skills shortage, and ensure that we provide careers, not just jobs.
2.Be a good neighbour meeting tough environmental and noise limits and air quality rules, enforced by new independent regulators.
By building on our record in finding new technologies to reduce the impact of our operations, like using steeper approaches, and banning the noisiest classification of aircraft, which has contributing to a 14% reduction in areas affected by noise (as measured using 55LDen) over the last 9 years. We will continue our investments in tools to reduce emissions in aircraft at the gates and while they are taxiing, and in electric vehicles and chargers.
3.Tackle local traffic congestion by investing in local transport projects that put Heathrow at the center of a new integrated bus and rail transport system.
Expanding on the schemes we already fund, including 24 hour bus services recently established for communities west to the airport and hosting the largest single-site car sharing scheme in the world.
4.Work together with local businesses, helping them make best use of the national asset on their doorstep and investing in the local economy. Learning from the success of our annual Heathrow Business Summits, which provide opportunities for local SMEs to meet with our Tier one suppliers, we will build regional procurement hubs to ensure the benefits of Heathrow expansion are felt locally.
5.Build a lasting legacy for future generations, in partnership with local schools, colleges and universities. Expanding our current STEM skills programmes for local primary and secondary schools and ensuring these programmes also tackle issues around social mobility and diversity for local youth Mr. Holland-Kaye presented the manifesto for local people in a panel alongside Telefonica UK’s CEO Ronan Dunn, and it formed part of their discussions around how companies build trust for their business.
Heathrow CEO, John Holland- Kaye, said:
“If we are all to benefit from a stronger UK economy, Heathrow expansion is the right choice. But to expand, we need our local people to trust us to deliver the promises we make. We are already taking steps to deliver these pledges and we are happy to be held to them. They point to a more ambitious vision for the airport – one which sees Heathrow as a better neighbour at the centre of thriving West London and Thames Valley.”
Last month, Heathrow cleared the way for the Government to support its expansion proposal by meeting and, in most cases, exceeding the conditions set out in the Airports Commission’s recommendations for Heathrow expansion.
West London Business Chief Executive, Andrew Dakers, said:
“Heathrow has stepped up to the challenge set by local communities and the Airports Commission with these pledges and an ambitious, world-class plan for the airport’s future. This will deliver up to 40,000 jobs that by building on the airport’s existing partnerships with local schools ensures the training and future career opportunities should benefit local families. Critically for the West London business community substantial investment in local transport projects will put Heathrow at the heart of a new integrated bus and rail system that will benefit the sub-region’s economy through vastly improved connectivity.”
Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Paul Britton, said:
“We must continue to grow our infrastructure and resources to attract the people and businesses that make the Thames Valley such a successful business hub. But there is still uncertainty around major projects that can have a major positive impact on our future success. The expansion of Heathrow really matters to our businesses and the continued success of the Thames Valley”.
West Thames College Principal, Tracy Aust, said:
“We are proud of our long standing relationship with Heathrow Airport, a world-leading logistics hub and one of the country’s biggest employers. West Thames College students are given unprecedented access to the Airport through visits, work experience placements and presentations from senior Heathrow managers. These activities combine to give our students a real insight into day-to-day operations, helping them to secure first-class jobs at Heathrow. West Thames College welcomes these five pledges and we look forward to working in partnership to deliver some of the many new apprenticeship opportunities in the future.”
Garry Phillips, Chief Executive Officer at Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College, said:
“We welcome the pledges that Heathrow have made to the local community. Our students are already benefitting from work experience placements, jobs fairs and regular input to courses by the airport and their partners.
Heathrow’s commitment to working closely with us and other educators to inspire and engage people will ensure West London and the Capital as a whole has a secure future, increasing prosperity for generations to come.”
Nancy Lalor, Operations Manager, Learning to Work, said:
“We proudly partner with Heathrow as they actively support local young people in their plight to become work ready, career informed and community focused. Thanks to their support we are able to work within the schools and colleges in surrounding communities to ensure that local students gain a wealth of skills to enable them to take up local job opportunities at the airport. We have recently worked in partnership with Heathrow and over 100 Heathrow volunteers to deliver the STEM based hands on Secondary School Challenge introducing students to the world of IT and Engineering. The programme allowed students to see for themselves just how closely linked engaging and IT are as they built and programmed their Lego Pod Robots, the activity saw each Pod Robot participate in a Top Gear style race off before our overall winning team was announced. The programme had a very positive impact with regard to the interest surrounding engineering which not only supports Heathrow but potentially the many organisations based at the airport and surrounding areas. Heathrow is committed to raising the aspirations, knowledge and work ready skills of our future workforce for the good of themselves and their neighbours”
