Aerospace is a vital industry sector across the EU. Recognising and addressing skills gaps and enabling the personal development of well-trained and skilled employees to support growth will make a significant contribution to the advancement of the key Europe 2020 aims of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. In particular, the AEERO project will contribute towards the objectives of the 'Agenda for New Skills and Jobs' by equipping people with the right skills needed for jobs in aerospace; a sector with enormous potential and need for growth within the supply chain in the face of non-EU competition.The size of potential growth for the sector is indicated by the unparalleled demand which will see the number of passenger aircraft in service more than double over the next 20 years. This has been documented by a number of respected sources, including the Aerospace Growth Partnership (a UK aerospace collaboration between government and industry) and SEMTA (the UK sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies). This indicates how imperative it is that high quality training is produced and delivered which is both relevant to the sector needs and is also engaging to the target audiences.AEERO fulfills this need by creating an innovative online learning resource in English, Italian and Portuguese (3 key languages in the global aerospace industry). The platform will be designed to meet user needs and contain easily accessible, media rich learning materials and resources that are pertinent to the vocational skills required by engineers across the EU aerospace industry, from supply chain to preventative and breakdown maintenance.The learning outcomes and the delivery methods will be informed by the needs identified through detailed and project specific analysis of the training requirements of sectoral employers and employees. Training partners in each of the partnered countries have independently undertaken previous analysis of employer demand wither through EU projects or commercial activity which will provide a sound basis for a cohesive project methodology. Ongoing engagement with key aerospace industry stakeholders across Europe, particularly in the 3 partner countries, the UK, Italy and Portugal will underpin development of training materials and delivery mechanisms. Many of the partners are VET providers and have extensive experience and knowledge in this area of provision. Employer engagement will be sustained throughout the project via an Advisory Steering Board composed of appropriate experts from the fields of aerospace, VET provision, digital learning and project management, quality assurance and evaluation. Project partners have long established networks with employers.AIMS- Improve skill levels, enhancing employability potential for aerospace employees.-Improve the digital literacy of target users through the use of an online and mobile learning platform.- Increase the attractiveness of VET in the aerospace sector through the creation of high quality, modern materials suited to blended learning.- Increase opportunities for career development through the development of a flexible, open education resource that can be used in the workplace or classroom environment.OBJECTIVES- Create a media-rich open educational resource available on mobile and online platforms that support aerospace employees to gain new skills.- Contribute to the recognition and transparency of vocational qualifications across Europe through establishing clear learning objectives which can be mapped and accredited through applying the principles of ECVET.- Develop user-guides for trainees to accompany the digital resources.
The AEERO project was led by the University of Wolverhampton and delivered over a three-year period (2016 – 2019) by a transnational consortium of 7 partner organisations from 3 EU member states (UK, Italy and Portugal). These partner organisations included VET developers and providers engaged with industry, commerce and learners to provide training, mentoring and other consultancy services; media specialists and a dedicated technical development partner specialising in interactive and innovative multimedia techniques and technologies. The objective of the AEERO project was to create an innovative, online learning resource that could be used in teaching vocational skills to employees across the EU aerospace sector and its supply chain. The Aerospace sector was a focus due to its importance as a vital high tech and highly skilled industry with huge growth potential and as well as identified skills gaps. These skills gaps included shortages in advanced technology and manufacturing skills as well as shortcomings in advanced manufacturing and lean supply chain management. Based on the project’s research and needs analysis of training requirements for aerospace employers and employees, an app-based training tool focused on Process Mapping; a key Business Improvement Technique that can increase efficiency in any business by identifying waste and non-value-added activity in any individual process; was developed. The AEERO PMAPP App is freely available for download at the Google Play Store. It’s complemented by detailed supporting documents which guide users through the app as well as providing more information on the concept of Business Improvement Techniques, Process Mapping and its importance in Lean Management as well as its role in quality assurance. The project has been widely disseminated to, and tested by, key stakeholders.