Southend Airport scheme gets cash boost (From Echo)

Southend Airport scheme gets cash boost

10:30am Monday 15th March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(5)

AN airport training centre has received a massive cash boost which will allow it to treble the number of apprentices it can take on.

The Government’s Homes and Communities Agency has paid a £560,000 grant to the Aeronautical Engineering Academy at Southend Airport.

This will allow the new training facility to produce the next generation of aircraft maintenance engineers.

It can now take on 120 trainees from September, compared to the 40 it currently has, thanks to the funding, which was bid for by Renaissance Southend.

Building work will start immediately to treble the amount of workshop and classroom space currently available at the academy, which is in the airport’s ATC Lasham hangar.

This will include building a second technical training workshop plus new lecture rooms and will provide more money for the latest aviation training technology.

The new academy was officially opened two weeks ago, as a partnership between the aviation industry and Prospects College.

Neil Bates, the chief executive of Prospects, said: “We have never lost sight of the fact our long-term ambition is to establish a full aviation training centre at the airport, offering a wide range of airport-related skills courses and matching the expansion of the airport.

“This money allows us to take a vital next step.”

As a result of the funding, Prospects will now apply to the Civil Aviation Authority to offer A and B accreditations to newly-trained mechanical engineers.

These accreditations mean newly-qualified engineers would achieve international recognition for their skills.