Langley College was delighted to launch its new state-of-the-art Aviation Centre this week to help train future cabin crew staff.
The investment was funded by Berkshire LEP’s Skills Capital Grants via Government’s Local Growth Fund and will become an important hub for young people looking to enter the aviation industry.
Course Leader for Travel and Tourism at Langley College, Monish Bhandari explains “This addition to our facilities is a real game changer for our Travel and Tourism programme. It means we can offer specific Cabin Crew modules to support the complete training of young people and adults who have ambitions to work as cabin crew or other roles in airports.” He continued “This is just the start of our plans for growth – we will be adding a check-in suite and departure lounge to the department to develop the all-round skills required of cabin and check-in staff. We will also offer these facilities to the aviation industry to support the ongoing training of their staff, allowing us to forge stronger relationships and build a pipeline of talent for the industry.”
The Aviation Centre was officially opened by Alison Webster, Chief Executive of Berkshire LEP on Wednesday 2nd November. She endorsed the new initiative saying “The aviation sector was badly impacted by the pandemic lockdown but now recovery of the industry is being significantly affected by a lack of qualified staff with most employers now actively recruiting. This investment addresses one of the key priorities in the Berkshire LEP’s 2022 Skills Report relating to increasing skills to support the aviation sector. This fabulous Cut-away Cabin Service Trainer enables learners to develop real life experiences and skills to meet the current demands of employers within the aviation industry in facilities which are amongst the best in the country. The project will meet employer needs for training and upskilling for existing airline staff and will also address skills required in the hospitality sector as well as encouraging and enabling skills provision to be inclusive and support those furthest from the labour market through with opportunities for upskilling and participating in part time as well as full time courses.”
Gillian May, The Windsor Forest College’s Group CEO and Group Principal commented on this innovative installation and the impact it will have on training for the aviation industry, saying “We are incredibly excited at the investment made by the LEP in Langley College, which will become the region’s leading centre for aviation training for our students and for the industry itself. Our proximity to one of the world’s leading airports at Heathrow puts us in a prime position to lead on the training of cabin crew, and the new aircraft cabin simulator will allow us to put students through their paces in emergency procedures in the most realistic environment.”
Langley College already has a long-established reputation for providing quality training for young people in the Travel and Tourism sector and will be introducing Level 2 Airline Cabin Crew and Cabin Crew Fast Track qualifications to the curriculum for September 2023. Course Leader, Monish Bhandari explains “Aviation is a fast growing industry with new and expanded airports developing worldwide. Airlines and airline routes are growing to cope with the demand from airlines serving the needs of customers. The aircraft is the customers’ first contact with the airline they are to fly with to their destination with, it is important that all staff working in the aircraft ensure that the customers’ first impression of the organisation is outstanding. Our students will be taught in our state of the art Aviation Centre aircraft cabin, with all modern features including emergency equipment and public address system. They will also have the opportunity to visit British Airways and take part in Safety Evacuation Training.”
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