The employer-led curriculum will be co-designed with Airbus and partners including Babcock, GKN and Rolls-Royce
Aerospace giant Airbus is planning to open a flagship skills academy near Bristol specialising in aerospace, defence and advanced engineering.
Education provider Weston College Group announced on Thursday (January 8) it had signed a formal lease agreement with Airbus for the site at its base in Filton.
Under the agreement, Weston College will transform the building into a new training facility dedicated to advanced manufacturing and engineering skills.
The academy is scheduled to open in September 2026 in time for the new academic year.
Weston College said the Aerospace Skills Academy formed a “key strategic component” of efforts to respond to the government’s Industrial Strategy and the Defence Industrial Strategy.
The South West is home to a £2.7bn aerospace cluster, with nearly 14,000 jobs directly generated by the sector in the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) alone.
Pat Jones, principal and chief executive of Weston College Group, said: “Signing this lease with Airbus is a transformational step in delivering world-class higher technical education that directly supports national and regional economic priorities.”
The academy will operate as a centre for technical education and workforce development, and will be tailored to meet the “evolving needs” of the aerospace and defence and advanced engineering employers, according to Weston College.
Learners will be trained in refurbished workshop and teaching spaces featuring upgraded digital infrastructure, it added.
“Its purpose is to strengthen the skills pipeline by aligning training provision directly with industry demand, supporting both national capability and regional economic resilience,” the higher education institution said.
The employer-led curriculum will be co-designed with Airbus and a network of partners including Babcock International Group, GKN Aerospace, MBDA, NCC, Rolls-Royce, and regional SMEs.
Simon Galpin, Airbus head of Filton Site, said: “The Aerospace Skills Academy represents a major investment in the future of UK aerospace and advanced engineering.
“Working with the Weston College Group, we are creating a pipeline of highly skilled talent that supports national capability, regional growth, and the long-term competitiveness of our industry.”
