College event appeals to students with a sense of adventure

MACCLESFIELD College is holding an event to promote a range of aerospace courses to students who want to study something unique.

It is the only further education provider to offer full time aeronautical courses, which staff say are increasingly popular amongst young people.

The college has a specialist engineering centre of aerospace technology, and close relationships with global companies such as Siemens, where previous students have gone on to work.

They have pass rates at over 70 per cent for full time aeronautical engineering and general engineering at 96 per cent.

There is a full-size aircraft on site, which students get to work on when undertaking practical activity.

It is the only college within Greater Manchester which can offer this hands-on experience to students who want a career in aerospace or engineering.

The majority of students who enrol on the courses are male, with the ratio at 25/1, however it is hoped the open day will pique the interest of more female students.

Course Leader, Nic Burton, would love more girls to enrol. She said: “We would like more girls on the course, the girls we do have on the course work very hard and have the right attitude. This is a hard course and we pride ourselves in delivering the best results, giving students the opportunity to go out and get a great career.”

To get a place on the aerospace BTEC course, students need 5 GCSE’s, A-B, which is similar to the requirements for studying A-Levels.

Miss Burton said it is advantageous if a student has an interest in mathematics. She said: “An interest in maths will make things easier as there is a lot of theoretical work. When you understand the theory, it makes practical work a lot easier.”

The course is 85pc theory and 15pc practical work and Miss Burton said students enjoy getting hands-on with the aircraft, and this is probably their favourite part of the course.

Successful students have gone on to land jobs at Siemens, Bentley Motors and AstroZenica, taking their hands-on learning technique to the work place.

The college Apprenticeship Careers and Information event is on Thursday 9th March, from 2pm – 7pm, where anyone looking for an apprenticeship will be able to get advice from experts at the college and top industry employers.

The even runs to support National Apprenticeship Week, where students and employers come together to celebrate successes.

You can find out more about the aerospace courses at www. macclesfield.ac.uk.