Year 9 pupils from Mountfitchet’s Forest Hall School recently visited Stansted Airport and had a preview of the airport’s new education centre, the Aerozone, which is due to open to further school groups in June.
The £500,000 project has been designed to showcase the aviation industry to school pupils who are looking ahead to their future careers. However the Aerozone will be open to school children between the ages of 5 to 18 and the experience will be tailor made for each age group, and so is set to inspire children from an early age to school leavers. It aims to teach school groups the history of Stansted, showcase the types of job roles available at the airport, and encourage engineering skills where there is currently a national shortfall, as well as subjects including science, technology and maths. The project will also have it’s own viewing platform where school groups can watch flights take off and land.
The pupils privileged to gain a preview were able to see how Stansted, London’s third busiest airport, works and to get a feel of the day to day feel of the place. They enjoyed a variety of interactive experiences and were shown the variety of job roles available at the airport. Apparently they were ‘buzzing’with excitement following their visit.
Stansted’s Airport Education Coordinator, Joanne Davies, has said that it is important to bring to life all those job roles that currently nearly 11,000 people are involved in at the airport. She aims to encourage pupils to seek a job in the aviation field when they leave school, college, or university.
Anybody wishing to book a visit to the Aerozone can email Joanne Davies directly by emailing her at - Joanne_Davies@standstedairport.com -You can also download a booking form by visiting
http://www.stanstedairport.com/careers/education/aerozone/
It isn’t long now before the Aerozone opens and with the excitement gained by those who have already had a sneak peek at the centre this project is surely set to soar, for those interested in an aviation career, as well as those who are seeking an enjoyable and educational day out for their school.