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Young Talent at Strike Aviation: Vast Career Opportunities and the Benefit of Flexibility

Article Submitted by: Strike Aviation a Trustee Member

Written by: Julia Knecht Ostwaldt, Strike Aviation

Young talent at Strike Aviation: vast career opportunities and the benefit of flexibility

The global air freight industry has been rapidly changing recently, due to many factors such as, a pandemic, technological progress, the digitalization of services, and an increasing pressure to meet the customers’ needs as precisely and effectively as possible. A lot is happening within the industry, but how does it look from the outside? Is it attractive to the young generation as a workplace?

At Strike Aviation, we are happy to have a balanced team of professionals across a broad range of ages and ensuring gender equality in this usually male-dominated industry. How does Strike achieve this balance?

“First of all, we understand the challenges very clearly. The current workforce is aging, and not just in the air cargo industry. Our industry, unfortunately, does not look like the most desirable for young talents who’d rather drift towards “fancy” fields such as IT, hoping for a swiftly developing career. So, how do we find and retain young professionals? We guarantee them a great work atmosphere, give them a voice, we provide them with room to express their creativity and the possibility to grow within the company”, notes Julia Knecht-Ostwaldt, Chief Operating Officer for Europe at Strike Aviation.

Flexible working arrangements

Flexibility at work is one of the essential principles at Strike Aviation. The hybrid work model has become the “new normal” in nearly in all sectors. However, at Strike Aviation, we try to upgrade this model, offering even more opportunities, such as secondments to our offices in other countries or even continents. Strike Aviation currently has offices in 26 cities, including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Miami, Lima, and Bogota as well as Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn in the Baltic region, and the Polish capital Warsaw.

“The whole economy has shifted to various remote work models, as did Strike Aviation and the air cargo industry as a whole. Apart from providing the opportunity to work, if preferred, from the home office, we are also creating an organisation-wide culture, based on the essential pillar of work-life balance”, enthuses Knecht-Ostwaldt.  

Remote work at Strike is being facilitated by the company’s investment into state-of-the-art ITC technologies for the effective management of all operations: from bookings and track-and-trace activities to postflight procedures, flight revenue reports, and cargo yield analyses.

Keeping the company’s team closely connected despite hybrid or remote work, is ensured through constant and effective communication, providing frequent feedback, holding regular online meetings, creating and maintaining fun traditions, and organizing teambuilding events. 

A career within the company

Strike Aviation is known for its courage and determination in employing young talent even if they don‘t have previous specific experience related to the air cargo industry.

“We involve these young professionals in ambitious projects, providing various opportunities to learn, while working and growing within our organisation. All necessary platforms for learning, training, and sharing knowledge are in place at Strike. This helps the company to retain our professionals, letting them create their own career paths”, explains Knecht-Ostwaldt.

Sustainability: small steps count

Being socially responsible and seeing sustainability at the core of its business, Strike Aviation is constantly looking for relevant solutions in everyday activities. One of the company’s recent moves was to provide workers with the possibility to travel to work by electric bike.

“It might sound like a small step towards a greener future, but we believe that small solutions count as well. Electric bikes are particularly good for commuting to work, as it is not just an enjoyable way of traveling, but also contributes to improved well-being and helps to protect nature”, concludes the company’s Chief Operating Officer for Europe.