Engineering Diploma Students, the Assault Glider Trust and RAF Shawbury

Specialised Engineering Diploma

 Residential Visit

30/04/09 – 01/05/09

 RAF Shawbury and the Assault Glider Trust accommodated level 2 Engineering Students from four Wolverhampton schools at the end of last month. The four schools involved were:

• WednesfieldHigh School
• MoseleyParkHigh School
• AldersleyHigh School
• St Peters Collegiate School
• St Edmunds High School
• CoppiceHigh School
• ParkfieldsHigh School
   

The aim of the level 2 engineering course is to contribute to the development of a skilled workforce, and to enable candidates to demonstrate their abilities, skills and associated knowledge in an engineering maintenance environment. RAF Shawbury provided the perfect environment for the Students to conduct a number of maintenance tasks to develop and improve upon the theoretical knowledge they had obtained from the classroom. Warrant Officer Ed Gibson, who has had a fruitful career in REME (Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers), led the students in a number of wire locking exercises. The students learnt how to effectively wire lock a pair of bolts, a union and Clutch Bell Housing from a Gazelle. Chief Technician Nick Bowles directed the Gazelle maintenance workshop which involved the students working as a team to fit and remove the Helicopter blades and move the aircraft around the Hangar. Both Ed and Nick were extremely pleased with the outcome of each activity and mentioned that each student showed dedication and maturity during the tasks.

The Diploma Residential is proving to be an essential segment of the Engineering Diploma because it bridges the gap between the theoretical knowledge obtained in the classroom and a real engineering working environment. A letter received from WednesfieldHigh School outlines just how crucial the residential has been to each student’s growth and development:

The whole experience of staying at RAF Shawbury, and the activities provided by you, not only supported theirlearning, but also gave them an insight into the real world, seeing what a working environment is like and also helped develop their own personal skills. They could not get this experience working in a classroom environment.

Each school has kindly offered a donation to the Assault Glider Trust as an appreciative gesture for the hard work put forward by members of the Trust and the RAF.

The Trust and RAF Shawbury are very proud to be associated with such a terrific and innovative qualification and will be working alongside many other Wolverhampton based Schools throughout the year.