The University of Wolverhampton has been awarded almost 390,000 euros (£337,000) for a project to create a suite of online training resources for the growing aerospace sector.

The three-year project will see the university’s Faculty of Arts working in collaboration with local company In-Comm Training, as well as local manufacturing businesses and partner organisations in Portugal and Italy.

AEERO (Aerospace Engineering ECVET Resources Online) is an Erasmus+ project that will provide bespoke training materials in anticipation of predicted unparalleled growth in the aerospace sector. While the last five years have seen a 30 per cent productivity growth in the industry, there is a lack of vocational training and opportunities for career development – a gap that the project team aims to fill.

This is particularly relevant to the Midlands, which is home to 25 per cent of the UK’s aerospace supply chain, seven per cent of Europe’s and three per cent of the world’s. In the Midlands 45,000 people are employed making parts for aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, BAE Systems and Boeing.

The courses developed will cover a wide variety of the skills needed by engineers across the aerospace sector, from supply chain through to breakdown maintenance. Accessed through a digital platform, the learning materials will be media-rich, creative and engaging and available in the three key languages of the global aerospace industry – English, Italian and Portuguese.

Think Sandwell wishes the University of Wolverhampton and its partners all the best. To find out how we can support your training needs, visit our Business Services pages.