UK: Cabin crew told to "retratin as carers and nurses"

Cabin crew who have lost their jobs because of the collapse in aviation should retrain as carers and nurses, the work and pensions secretary has said. Therese Coffey said that the thousands of men and women who have been made redundant by BA, easyJet and other airlines should switch careers. “I want to encourage them to perhaps go into teaching or go to college and to be the people who train the next lot of people who are going to do those jobs,” she said. “How do we help draw out of them the transferable skills that they have, and that could be working in social care?” Coffey also backed the prime minister’s call for female cabin crew to retrain as nurses. “I’m sure other cabin crew as well who are male could make equally good nurses. It’s just whether or not people want that as a complete lifestyle change. It may not be their dream job for the rest of their lives. But it may well be very useful: they get more money coming in than if they’re on benefits and it can also provide something really valuable and rewarding.” A senior member of British Airways cabin crew who was made redundant recently said that retraining was not a viable option for many airline staff. “Many of us that were made redundant were of a later age with financial responsibilities, so therefore we’re unable to take unpaid time out to retrain,” she said.<br/>