Ickenham woman joins Heathrow class of 2009

A university style graduation ceremony was held last week, which also acknowledged graduates from BAA's 30 year-old apprenticeship scheme.

One of these was Ben Herrick, 22, from Hillingdon, who was celebrating getting through his BAA engineering apprenticeship.

Ben, who now works in Terminal 5, said: "I'm feeling very pleased although relieved its all over.

"I've actually been working by myself since May and am really enjoying it.

"It's definitely worthwhile getting an apprenticeship and learning on the job rather than out of text books."

Another graduate was Jo Savage, 35, from Ickenham, who was celebrating having completed her foundation degree in Retail Operations and People Management.

She has worked for BAA for 12 years and is currently working for BAA Retail.

She said: "I'm glad its finished but it's an amazing achievement at my age.

"I think you put in more when you're a bit older, it's so much different to having to learn when you're at school.

"It teaches you about what you're capable of achieving and I've definitely got more confidence."

The achievements were praised by Colin Matthews, chief executive officer of BAA.

He said: "Whether ensuring lights on the runway work every time or that the coffee is served to each individual passenger's complete satisfaction, the role of Heathrow's people should never be underestimated, nor taken for granted.

"With more than 70,000 people working at Heathrow, the airport is a major provider of interesting and varied careers."