£15m Aviation Academy to open at RAF Syerston

Air August 25, 2017

A £15 million state-of-the-art Aviation Academy is set to open at RAF Syerston in Nottinghamshire in 2019 in a joint venture between the RAF Air Cadets and Aviation Skills Partnership.

The Syerston Academy will be named after WW2 Victoria Cross hero Arthur Aaron – a former RAF Air Cadet and RAF pilot. Arthur (5 March 1922 – 13 August 1943) was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry.

The RAF Air Cadets is a 55,000-strong global leader in youth aviation and its aerospace syllabus will underpin the initial training for new students aged 14-22 at the academy.

Offering qualifications and training in aviation-related subjects from GCSE up to degree level, students will be primed to take up jobs in the aviation industry ranging from pilots to air traffic controllers to engineers and cabin crew.

RAF air cadets, aged 12-19, will also use the facilities as part of their training at the academy, which will be next to the home of the RAF’s No 2 Flying Training School and the Central Gliding School which delivers gliding for 41,000 air cadets.

Air Marshal Atha, the RAF’s Deputy Commander Operations, said: “This is a landmark moment for the RAF, the RAF Air Cadets and indeed any young person with an interest in aviation. This academy, delivered by a partnership we are proud to be part of, will prepare young people to be the next generation driving forward both the RAF and UK aviation.”

Students using the block will be able to access the facilities, hands-on teaching environment and, perhaps more importantly, the academic content, accreditation and OU-backed syllabi to gain meaningful qualifications to enable them to access employment in the aerospace sector.

Mr Simon Witts, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Aviation Skills Partnership, said: “We are so proud to be launching this academy with our partners, the RAF Air Cadets. This academy, part of the Aviation Skills Manifesto, is part of our vision for the future.

“We plan to have a number of aerospace academies across the UK and this is just the beginning.”