Newcastle Airport aviation academy to expand
26.11.07
Plans to help develop a new generation of world class engineers in the North-East have been given a £1.7m boost. The region's only aviation academy, based at Newcastle Airport, will be able to start work on a £3.2m expansion after gaining extra funding from regional development agency One NorthEast.
The Newcastle Aviation Academy was opened four years ago at a cost of £1.7m. It now plans to spend nearly twice as much again in order to allow for a big expansion that will enable it to take on more students and improve its facilities.
The current Aviation Academy is based between two sites, an Aeronautical Engineering workshop at Newcastle College and an aircraft hangar in Newcastle Airport, which has a fully functional Boeing 737 jet plane on site. The expansion will create a regional facility and 'one stop shop' for aviation training as well as a further 1,500sqm of training space, which will include an additional hangar for refurbishment.
Work will start on the expansion after the application for £1.7m worth of investment from One NorthEast was successful. The Learning and Skills Council North East and Newcastle College also gave funding.
The Academy is currently working at full capacity for students getting a Foundation Degree in Aeronautical Engineering in the region. They can also progress to Kingston University in Surrey to complete a BSc Hons Degree.
The qualification carries students from GCSE to first and national diploma through to foundation degree, developing a centre of international standing in the aviation industry. The academy has proved to be a great success with 93% of graduates finding employment in the aviation industry.
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