London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Virtual path: how an aviation training startup got onboard with remote internships

Virtual path: how an aviation training startup got onboard with remote internships

Aviation training company boss Claudio Marturano explains the role of the Open University in his career and in recruiting two virtual interns for the business

Claudio Marturano runs Nubis Aviation Training, a compliance training and support platform for the aviation industry. Marturano began studying for an MBA through The Open University (OU) before setting up his own business. He recruited two OU virtual interns, Lily Beach (online marketing and customer relations officer) and Helen Wood (business development officer), via its online vacancy service, OpportunityHub. They’re both now full-time members of staff.

How did you hear about the OU?
Marturano: I started doing an MBA through the OU because I didn’t have the resources to stop work and go to university full-time. I knew all about OpportunityHub and the ways in which it connects OU students and alumni with career opportunities.

As an employer, what made you recruit via the OU?
Marturano: Having started my own business, my first thought – when the time came to hire people and think about expanding – was the OU. It was an obvious choice because I know that OU students and graduates have a similar mindset to me – we share a commitment to learning and bettering ourselves, and have the resourcefulness to study at the same time as working. That lends itself well to the demands of growing a business.

How did you find Helen and Lily?
Marturano: I contacted the OU via OpportunityHub and they put me in touch with several candidates. Helen and Lily were by far the best fit.

How easy was it to find the right people?
Marturano: It was completely seamless and easy. The OU were fantastic and made it very simple to find the right candidates. They actually did most of the work for us. They took care of everything from collating CVs to contacting candidates. They even put the job advert together.

How did the OU compare with other agencies?
Marturano: I did work with a couple of other recruitment agencies too and they weren’t nearly as helpful.

Were you surprised by the calibre of candidates?
Marturano: I’ll be honest, no. I knew the OU would unearth people with impressive skills and the mindset to succeed. What has surprised me is the fact that I went to the OU as a means to an end – I needed an MBA to progress in my career when I was offered a directorship – but I ended up with the team to start and scale my own business!

Do you have any advice for other employers?
Marturano: Think about what you want from an employee and particularly how you want them to help grow and sustain your business. OU students and graduates don’t want to be average employees – they have the skills and tenacity to become an integral part of your business.

How did you find the position?
Wood: I joined the OU to do a maths degree and I spent a lot of time on the OpportunityHub looking at jobs and seeing what openings were out there. I came across Claudio’s advert and thought the idea of a virtual internship sounded really interesting. I applied and came onboard as a virtual intern for six weeks. After that, I was delighted when Claudio offered me a full-time job.

Beach: When I started international studies with the OU, I immediately began looking for jobs as I’d always planned to work alongside studying for my degree. The online internship seemed perfect for me because you can fit your working hours around your other studies and commitments.

What do you do?
Wood: I work in business development, looking after the sales and finance side of things. I’m also involved in deciding what direction the business will go in the future.

Beach: I’m responsible for marketing and branding.

What’s your favourite thing about working?

Wood: I’m in my final year of my degree so I’m working full-time alongside studying, and I enjoy that. I also really like having had the opportunity to join the business from the very early stages of its development. It’s been an invaluable experience.

Beach: I enjoy the fact that I can bring the skills I am learning through my studies to my working environment. It’s great to have this opportunity through the OU to work alongside studying, gaining and developing vital work experience to use for the future and in any professional setting.

What have Lily and Helen brought to your business?
Marturano: They have literally helped build the company from scratch. They were very eager and wanted to achieve from the get-go. Within six weeks, we had made a lot of progress and I realised very quickly they would be of real benefit to the business. Soon after they joined, they helped design an infrastructure for our working environment, which brought us from startup to being ready to scale.

So together they’ve been a dream team?

Marturano: So far, so good, yes!

Any challenges?
Beach: One thing we initially found a little bit of a challenge was communication, but since then we’ve developed our own communication system and way of sharing new information and keeping track of everything we need to work effectively, from project management to workflow.

Marturano: It’s not without its difficulties; you’re doing something brand new and working with people you’ve never met before. But aviation is not a nine-to-five job; you have to work in different time zones and I travel a lot, so having a virtual team that I can communicate with from everywhere has been invaluable.

Hang on – you’ve never met your staff?
Marturano: We’ve met twice since December, but I didn’t meet Helen or Lily until more than a month after they joined the team. The nature of a virtual internship meant I didn’t need to! And I actually think that’s one of the key advantages of a virtual internship; aside from the fact that it keeps overheads low from an economic point of view, it also means you’re not forced in front of each other just because you work together.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
Beach: I am enjoying learning about the business, particularly the aviation industry and contributing towards the growth of the company. We recently launched the official website and I am looking forward to attending events and talking about the products. Although it is difficult to say where I’ll be in five years, I hope to continue to develop my skillset and have completed my degree.

Wood: I’m really enjoying watching the business grow and helping to develop it. I’m not quite sure where I’ll be in five years’ time. I haven’t planned that far ahead. I am taking one thing at a time, finishing my degree and learning more about the business.

Marturano: As an employer it’s wonderful to hear your team say that. They’re already an integral part of the business but that they want to help grow it – well, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

In five years’ time, I’d like us to be a sustainable business with lots more people onboard; the go-to for support and training for the aviation industry.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×