Arjan Meijer, Managing Director at KLM UK Engineering Limited, accepts the Innovation Award at the UKTI Investment Awards Dinner 2015. The UKTI Investment Awards dinner was celebrating Dutch companies that have invested or expanded their operations in the UK during the 12 months up until June 2015. The innovation category is an investment project that either brings something new to the market or approaches a sector in an original manner. KLM UK Engineering accepted the award in relation to the new Norwich International Aviation Academy.
The Norwich International Aviation Academy (NIAA) project represents a ground-breaking partnership between KLM UK Engineering, Norwich International Airport, Aviation Skills Partnership, University of East Anglia and City College Norwich, supported by investment from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership and local government, to secure a pipeline of trained aviation professionals to support the skills needs of the local economy and wider aviation sector. The NIAA will deliver a variety of aviation-based courses ranging from aircraft engineering to ground operations and cabin crew training. In the case of aircraft engineering, students can join programmes from the age of 16 and progress onto a BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Aircraft Engineering Practice, from the age of 18. KLM UK Engineering will deliver the courses and transfer its current Technical College into the NIAA. Unlike other aviation degree programmes, this course is designed to meet the needs of employers and will include a full EASA Licence programme along with industry specific training covering topics such as Threat and Error Management. The NIAA will include an operational aircraft, which will allow students to gain real life practical experience to augment their theoretical knowledge. Students will also have access to the latest maintenance software and will be encouraged to develop the necessary behaviours and soft skills required to be effective in the aviation industry.