Enabling works have begun on London Stansted Airport’s new technical college, which will educate and supply suitable candidates for roles at the airport and its affiliated businesses.
Designed by architects Pascall+Watson, Stansted Airport College is the first of its kind at any major UK airport and is a joint venture between Harlow College and London Stansted.
When the college opens in time for the 2018 autumn term, it will welcome more than 500 students each year and offer courses designed to bridge the skills gap in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as specific airport areas such as aircraft and airport engineering, business studies, logistics and supply chain management, asset management, hospitality and customer service.
The £11m (US$14.6m), two-story facility has received two separate £3.5m (US$4.7m) grants from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) Local Growth Fund and Essex County Council, and is also supported by a £300,000 (US$400,000) grant by Uttlesford District Council.
The site was visited on November 28, 2017, by Claire Perry, the Minister of State for Climate Change and Industry in the UK, who came to see the on-site technical college as part of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.
“Today we have launched our new, modern Industrial Strategy which aims to help young people develop the skills to do the high-paid, high-skilled jobs of the future,” said Perry.
“The new college here at Stansted is a prime example of our Industrial Strategy in action. Public and private sector working together to improve the skills of young people and delivering a pipeline of talent that will boost the local economy.”
Brad Miller, chief operating officer, London Stansted, said, “The Stansted Airport College is a great example of the private and public sector working together on behalf of our region to try to deliver part of the solution to a very real problem. As a rapidly growing and ambitious airport and employer of 12,000 people, it is vital for us to develop and retain the right talent and skills.
“The airport sits within an area of low unemployment so it can often be challenging for companies to fill vacancies across our site. The aim of the project is to help address the growing skills gap in engineering, hospitality and customer service across our region, develop talent and provide more opportunities for local people to join us as we play an ever more critical role in providing UK runway capacity over the next decade.”