Case Study
Transforming Potential into Performance with Data & AI Apprenticeships at easyJet
Client profile
easyJet stands as a premier European airline group, connecting major primary airports for both leisure and business travellers. Beyond its core point-to-point operations, the company has successfully expanded its reach with easyJet holidays, a high-margin division that has become a powerful engine for growth.
Results
easyJet partnered with Cambridge Spark to deploy Data & AI apprenticeship programmes, strategically upskilling their workforce from basic data analysis to advanced predictive and prescriptive data science to bridge an internal skills gap. This initiative delivered highly quantifiable results, resulting in substantial annual cost savings and the optimisation of processes that saved considerable time across the business.
£20 Million
Annual cost savings delivered across the business by Apprenticeship programmes.
Hundreds of Thousands
Time saved through optimisation of business processes and functions.
Promotion Opportunities
Formal career progression for a data analyst to a specific managerial role.
Building a Data-Led Future
As a leading organisation that has long defined itself as a "data company," easyJet understood that maintaining its competitive edge and future-proofing its operations hinged on a robust, data-led strategy. The rapid evolution of AI and digital technologies created a pressing need to bridge the internal skills gap. Moving beyond basic data analysis, easyJet sought to establish an in-house capability for advanced predictive and prescriptive modelling, requiring a strategic upskilling of its existing workforce.
“Apprenticeships are really important for us at easyJet. They provide a critical pipeline for us to address our key priority areas in the business, whether that be engineering, data or AI, and they really help us drive [them] forward.” - Susan Collingridge, People Experience Director at easyJet
easyJet partnered with Cambridge Spark to deploy tailored apprenticeship programmes designed specifically to align with core business objectives. The focus was clear: to advance staff from descriptive and diagnostic analysis to more sophisticated predictive and prescriptive data science.
The solution included:
- Targeted Programmes: Offering the full suite of data & AI apprenticeship programmes, to effectively cater to diverse roles and experience levels across the business.
- Expert Instruction: Learning was made immediately applicable through Subject Matter Experts -tutors with deep industry experience who provided real-life, relevant examples.
- Dedicated Support System: Every learner was provided comprehensive backing, including a non-technical coach and a technical mentor for project work, ensuring they were challenged and guided through complex topics.
- EDUKATE.AI Platform: The learners benefited from a single, clean 'one-stop shop' learning portal, which centralised all course materials, lectures, and workbooks for consistency and ease of progress tracking.
Measurable Results and Employee Empowerment
The apprenticeship programmes quickly delivered clear, quantifiable benefits, creating positive impacts for both easyJet and its employees.
1. Driving Efficiency and Cost Savings
The skills gained led to immediate process improvements. For Gemma Perrins, an Internal Comms Channel Specialist who completed the Level 3 Data Citizen Apprenticeship, the impact was practical and immediate. She saw time savings by learning essential shortcuts, formulas, and skills for data cleansing, consolidation, and validation, ensuring the accuracy of data for corporate events.
The cumulative effect of these improvements was significant.
“The apprenticeship programmes are already delivering some [cost savings] at the moment for us. We're seeing 20 million pounds worth of savings in a year. In some parts of the business, we're seeing several hundreds of thousands of hours being saved on optimisation and processes.” - Peter Gardner, Early Careers & Apprenticeship Manager at easyJet
2. Career Progression and Technical Authority
Justin Davis’ Apprenticeship provided him with the formal foundation he needed to elevate his career, solidifying his transition from a data analyst to Federated Data Scientist & Customer Analytics Manager. The course provided the skills necessary to build predictive models and use their insights to make prescriptive recommendations, a key differentiation from a traditional analyst role and an industry-recognised certification.
"Don’t wait to be tapped on the shoulder. Be proactive and reach out and find out through the talent team how you can actually get on that course."
Justin Davis, Federated Data Scientist & Customer Analytics Manager at easyJet
3. Fostering Ethical and Strategic Thinking
The programmes’ value extended beyond technical skills to cultivating a more strategic and responsible approach to data science. Justin highlighted the importance of a key module: “There was a course on ethics and regulation... it's very important because when you're building a model, you need to be quite mindful of what data you give.” This deep ethical knowledge is critical for a responsible, safety-critical organisation like easyJet.
4. Cultural and Organisational Development
The initiative reinforced easyJet's commitment to continuous learning and successfully challenged the notion that apprenticeships are only for new or young starters, with some apprentices proudly in their 50s.
"They are genuinely keen and passionate to see our learners succeed as much as we are, but also understand us and how we are constantly evolving as an organisation." - Peter Gardner on Cambridge Spark as a partner
easyJet is effectively leveraging apprenticeships as a strategic driver for broader business growth, transforming its existing workforce into highly skilled data practitioners. By seamlessly combining human expertise with smart technology, they are not only delivering measurable business impact but also empowering the entire organisation to thrive in the data-driven world.