CONNECTING THE DEFENCE COMMUNITY WITH INSIGHT, INTELLIGENCE & OPPORTUNITIES

Officially Supported By: Defence Contracts International Supply2Defence

Official Media Partners for:

BAE Systems officially opens new £15.6M training facility in Lancashire, marking largest single investment in UK aerospace skills.

A brand new £15.6M training facility has officially been opened at Samlesbury, Aerospace Enterprise Zone, alongside BAE Systems’ military aircraft advanced manufacturing centre in Lancashire.

The investment in the Academy for Skills and Knowledge (ASK) marks the biggest investment in UK aerospace skills.

The 7,400m² facility will provide training for apprentices and graduates, as well as further education and development for long term employees.

It will house 26 light and airy classroom facilities, and some of the latest technology including VR, robotics and 3D printing technology. The ASK has been designed and built from scratch over three years.

Chris Boardman, Managing Director of BAE Systems Military Air & Information, said: “The Academy for Skills & Knowledge is the single biggest investment in skills in the aerospace industry and offers an unrivalled modern engineering and manufacturing environment in which BAE Systems can deliver the highest quality training.

“We are committed to playing our part in developing skills for the future, for our business, those in our supply chain and in education.”

A £150,000 Kuka robot cell, which BAE Systems used to manufacture parts of the Typhoon and F-35 Lightning II jets, will be present at the academy.

There will also be a virtual reality “cave”, which will provide a training environment that can simulate a range of scenarios, from wiring aircraft to the design of major infrastructure.

A £50k investment in 3D printers will help build skills in rapid prototyping, and a carbon fibre cleanroom will give trainees hands-on experience with some of the materials used to build military aircraft. Early 2017 will also see a Hawk jet trainer delivered to the academy, giving apprentices a chance to see the engineering complexity of a full aircraft up close.

Northern Powerhouse Minister Andrew Percy said: “Our Enterprise Zones across the North have already attracted nearly 9,000 skilled workers and today BAE Systems has become the latest world-class company to get on board with our plans to build a Northern Powerhouse. Northern businesses have established themselves in the top flight of the aerospace industry and the new flagship Academy for Skills and Knowledge will offer excellent opportunities to our young people from the area.”

Chris Boardman, Managing Director of BAE Systems Military Air & Information, added: “The Academy for Skills & Knowledge is the single biggest investment in skills in the aerospace industry and offers an unrivalled modern engineering and manufacturing environment in which BAE Systems can deliver the highest quality training. We are committed to playing our part in developing skills for the future, for our business, those in our supply chain and in education. In our experience, well trained people are both socially mobile and very productive which in turn generates economic wealth for the UK.”

Images: ASK Imagery

If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here

Academy for Skills and Knowledge Aerospace Enterprise Zone BAE Systems Northern Powerhouse

Post written by: Abigail Burr


LATEST STAKEHOLDER

Become a Stakeholder today and benefit from an exclusive marketing package which will allow you to:

  • Engage with active defence buyers and key supply chain partners
  • Create your own branded micro-site which within Defence Online which is managed by you
  • Have a dedicated Digital Account Manager to help enhance your Stakeholder page
  • Promote your news, products, press releases, eBooks and Videos as a Defence Online partner which feeds through to our homepage and social media channels
  • Have your company promoted on our partner website Defence Contracts Online (DCO)
  • All news promoted in mynewsdesk, a major hub for all of our news articles which enables news to be picked up from trade magazines, national newspapers and many other publications which offers extra exposure at no additional cost!

Contact us today or call us on 0845 557 1315 to take advantage of this exclusive marketing package


.

RELATED ARTICLES

BAE Systems has delivered its first ACV Command and Control variant to the US Marine Corps.

January 17, 2024

Land - BAE Systems delivers first ACV-C

BAE Systems has delivered its first ACV Command and Control variant to the US Marine Corps. The ACV-C will provide Marines

A visit to the North-west by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has underlined the important role the region plays in UK defence industry.

January 15, 2024

Homeland - North-west companies vital to UK defence

A visit to the North-west by Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has underlined the important role the region plays in UK