BA initiates massive hiring drive - graduate jobs

British Airways has initiated a massive drive to hire pilots, boosting the hopes of young graduates looking forward to a lucrative career in the aviation industry.

The exercise, the biggest in 10 years, will see the country's flag carrier recruit more than 800 new pilots by 2016 by means of three combined hiring programmes.

Dubbed the Future Pilot Programme, the scheme has been devised as a joint initiative with the UK Armed Forces to provide military pilots with a planned career path into commercial aviation.

The initiative will help about 400 candidates gain a place at an approved flight training school, with successful aspirants landing a job as a BA pilot.

It also helps candidates to secure funding to train as a pilot, which they can pay back later in their career.

"By removing the barrier of initial training costs and making it more accessible to a wider range of people, we hope to be able to attract the very best talent out there," captain Robin Glover, head of pilot recruitment at British Airways.

Copyright Press Association 2011