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Global aviation training leader, CAE, confirmed today at the Farnborough International Airshow – chalet C122-122A - that Elle Betchley has been named the fifteenth CAE Women in Flight Ambassador. She joins a growing movement and network of female pilot professionals in raising awareness of the possibilities for women in the aviation sector. CAE launched the CAE Women in Flight program in 2018 to encourage women to pursue a career in aviation. It has quickly evolved to become the CAE Women in Flight Ambassador Program which aims to encourage girls and women to dream big and have no limits, raising awareness of the opportunities for women to follow professional pilot careers.
Elle is currently participating in the CAE Generation easyJet Pilot Training Program designed by CAE exclusively for easyJet. The competency-based program includes aircraft-type-specific training on CAE’s Airbus A320 Flight Training Devices (FTD) and Full Flight Simulators (FFS) and is subsequently complemented by base and line training with easyJet. Upon successfully completing the program, Elle will join the airline as a co-pilot on the Airbus A320.
CAE will train up to 200 easyJet pilots annually through 2028. As a CAE Women in Flight Ambassador, Elle receives a full scholarship worth more than €100,000 to complete her training. Elle has just completed her ground training at CAE’s London Gatwick training centre and is about to start her foundation flight training in tandem with her CAE Women in Flight Ambassador role. As an ambassador, her responsibilities include encouraging women to pursue an aviation career. The program aims to achieve much more than supporting future female pilots. It is also focused on developing a network of like-minded ambassadors and professionals who illustrate that diversity in aviation should be the norm, not the exception.
“We have established a reputation for delivering the highest standards of pilot training, and we recognize that it is our responsibility as an industry leader to support the advancement of women in aviation and broaden the civil aviation talent pool,” explains Marie-Christine Cloutier, CAE’s Vice-President, Strategy, Performance, and Marketing - Civil. “Women make up only between four and six percent of professional pilots worldwide*, and as CAE’s 2023 aviation talent forecast shows that some 300,000 new pilots are needed by 2032, we want to help attract more women to join the profession. Through shining role models like Elle, we believe we can truly influence the next generation.”
Initially trained as an agronomist, Elle has pursued a career in agriculture for the last seven years. She has always admired pilots but never considered herself a candidate. Her inspiration came from her husband, who also took the CAE Generation easyJet Pilot Training Program, but Elle wants to do so much more than fly. “I wanted to become a CAE Women in Flight Ambassador from the day I applied for the pilot training at CAE. This is not just about inspiring women; it’s about changing how people think. Being a CAE Women in Flight Ambassador will allow me to show young women what is achievable and shape the future of the aviation industry’s workforce,” says Elle.
Selection of the Women in Flight Ambassador is a rigorous process that requires multi-layered applications, written tests, video interviews, with input from Women in Aviation International, and the airline. Elle hopes to lead the way for more female recruits.
*CAPA- Centre for Aviation
About CAE Women in Flight
The CAE Women in Flight Ambassador program is helping to create a movement that encourages young girls and women to dream big and have no limits. Because women make up a very small percentage of commercial pilots worldwide, this program shows women that they, too, can reach for the sky. CAE is partnering with airline customers globally to provide partially funded and fully funded pilot training scholarships to deserving women who also become program ambassadors who inform and inspire other women to become pilots.
The program was launched in 2018 and expanded in July 2022 to grow the movement by forging partnerships with more airline customers. Initially, the program was limited to candidates enrolled in one of CAE's airline-sponsored cadet training programs. However, with the program's evolution, CAE now matches existing airline scholarships. The program aims to build a community of ambassadors who demonstrate leadership skills, active community involvement, perseverance, and passion for aviation and can inspire women to join the pilot profession.
To learn more about the program, go to CAE Women in Flight Ambassador Program.
About CAE Civil Aviation Training
CAE – Civil Aviation elevates and advances human performance by providing holistic and immersive training solutions for professionals in business and commercial aviation. Whether for pilots, maintenance technicians, cabin crew or air traffic controllers, we help keep aircraft in the skies with exceptionally trained professionals ready to take on any challenge safely. We operate 70+ facilities on five continents, training over 135,000 business and commercial professionals annually.
About CAE
At CAE, we equip people in critical roles with the expertise and solutions to create a safer world. As a technology company, we digitalize the physical world, deploying software-based simulation training and critical operations support solutions. Above all else, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security forces to perform at their best every day and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we’re everywhere customers need us to be with approximately 13,000 employees in more than 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. CAE represents more than 75 years of industry firsts—the highest-fidelity flight and mission simulators as well as training programs powered by digital technologies. We embed sustainability in everything we do. Today and tomorrow, we’ll make sure our customers are ready for the moments that matter.
Read our FY24 Global Annual Activity and Sustainability Report.
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