
Keeping skills alive in transfer to Reserve Force
05 July 2024
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Ngā mihi nui
Engineering, principles of flight and leadership were all part of the School to Skies programme for 36 Year-13 wāhine at RNZAF Base Auckland this week.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force programme, which has been running annually since 2017, offers a technical and aviation-focussed experience for female secondary school students from all over New Zealand.
The five-day full-immersion camp shows young women how Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) can translate to a career.
Under the Kaupapa of this year’s motto “Urungihia tō rangi / Navigate your Sky”, the students immersed themselves in hands on aviation and engineering experiences.
They donned flight uniforms, slept in barracks, dined in the mess hall, and earned their very own School to Skies patch—a first for the programme.
Workshops covered everything from aircraft systems and principles of flight (working right next to a C 130J Hercules) to electronic circuitry, mission planning, navigation, and maintenance.
They also tested their analytical skills in a new military intelligence module.
Flight Lieutenant Emma Raven, School to Skies programme leader, says the programme offers a transformative journey for students.
“Some have discovered a passion for being on the tools as a technician, learning real-life techniques of lockwiring, welding and riveting aircraft components. Others saw their passion lie in intelligence, avionics or aviation medicine. For those already interested in taking to the sky, they were further energised by flying in the Seasprite simulator and touring the new C-130J.
“Their spark has come along in different areas. Some of them have discovered a niche area within the Air Force that they never realised was there.”
Deputy Chief of Air Force Air Commodore DJ Hunt, who was a guest during the week’s Industry Evening, says he is always impressed by the calibre of participants attending School to Skies.
“During these one-on-one group discussions, you can’t help but go wow…we’d be lucky to have them in the Air Force.”
School to Skies is certainly about attracting people to the Air Force, he says, but it’s also about giving them an inside look and perhaps dispelling any myths about what the Air Force does and how it works.
“It’s about showing theses bright sparks there are pathways into technical and engineering careers they may not have considered.
“They can see the roles first hand, have a go at it, see people who look like them doing the roles and have the chance to learn lessons from those who have been there and done that.
“There are benefits on so many levels for School 2 Skies that the success and the value of the programme is never in doubt.”
Flight Lieutenant Raven says School to Skies began in 2017 to address gender imbalance in STEM and military technical trades.
“Today, those efforts are bearing fruit: 42 per cent of currently serving female aircraft technicians are School to Skies alumnae.
“This year’s camp strengthened that legacy by having five current serving School to Skies alumnae as role models for the students.”
She says while some participants may choose RNZAF careers, many will take their newfound confidence and skills into civilian STEM pathways.
“The camp’s goal has always been broader: show wāhine they belong—in labs, hangars, command centres, rockets, satellites, you name it.
“Whether they chart a course through the RNZAF or soar in engineering, technology, or beyond, they’re ready to Navigate their Sky.”
Read more about our School to Skies programme here.