Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group expand partnership

Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group have unveiled plans to expand training and careers opportunities at the airport through a new Skills Hub.

The Skills Hub will bring together various new and existing schemes in the airport’s education and employment programme under one umbrella, with a curriculum that helps equip young people and job seekers with the skills and understanding they need for a future career at Manchester Airport.

The hub aims to reach more than 1,200 young people aged 14 to 19 through an aviation programme, and deliver courses tailored to the needs of participants including pre-employment programmes, apprenticeships, and leadership pathways. The enhanced partnership between the airport and college group, will also boost access to employer-endorsed work-related learning, including work experience placements across the airport site, and support more than 2,700 people from neighbouring communities into work.

The Skills Hub initiative builds on a successful long-standing partnership between the airport and the college group, who have been running the Airport Academy together for more than a decade. The Academy provides a range of short courses designed to help get people into rewarding careers at the airport, with an emphasis on those who are long-term unemployed, do not have qualifications or have had difficulty finding work. It has supported almost 2,000 candidates into paid work since 2012.

Now, the two organisations will work together on a long term, five-year plan to deliver a cohesive learning programme focused on making young people aware of the full range of careers on offer at the airport, and providing additional support in accessing those careers to candidates who need it.

The programme will be delivered by Trafford & Stockport College Group and promoted through Manchester Airport’s on-site education hub, AeroZone, which welcomes thousands of local primary and secondary school pupils each year, alongside the Airport Academy’s learning centre. As part of the agreement, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) will sponsor and endorse technical and apprenticeship programmes, as well as teaching spaces within the College Group’s aviation curriculum. MAG will also support student engagement through activities such as careers talks and project-based assignments — helping to ensure the curriculum is aligned to current and future workforce skills needs.

Chris Woodroofe (pictured, right), Managing Director at Manchester Airport, said:

“We’re proud to serve the people of Greater Manchester, not just by connecting them to the world but also in our role as a major economic driver and one of the city region’s largest employers. We want to ensure that we’re working with young people and jobseekers in our neighbouring communities to help them develop the skills they need to make a success of their careers. We’re delighted to be launching the Skills Hub, expanding our successful partnership with Trafford and Stockport College Group to deliver our vision.”

James Scott (left), CEO of Trafford & Stockport College Group

“This partnership directly supports the Government’s ambition to kickstart the economy by building a skilled, future-ready workforce. The Manchester Airport Skills Hub will equip young people and jobseekers with the tools they need to access high-quality careers in a critical growth sector. It’s a powerful example of how education and industry can work together to create meaningful opportunities and drive inclusive growth — not just for individuals, but for the wider region.”

The Skills Hub will be overseen by a board of advisers jointly chaired by Manchester Airport Managing Director, Chris Woodroofe, and James Scott, CEO of Trafford and Stockport College Group.

The advisory board will seek to identify skills gaps that can be addressed through the initiative, strengthen partnerships between employers, education providers, and local authorities, and monitor the impact of the programmes delivered. Representatives from other organisations including Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Manchester City Council will also sit on the advisory board.