All RDAs across England are closing by March 2012
(see transition and closure section).
With our resources reducing steadily, this page has not been recently updated and the information below may not be current.
If in doubt, please contact us directly.
Flybe Skills Academy case study
Project summary
In August 2009, the South West RDA agreed funding of £2.82
million to support construction of the Flybe National Academy. The
£24m project will enable the airline to centralise all its training
activities at a new bespoke facility at company headquarters at
Exeter airport. This will help fill a looming skills gap in
engineering in the South West, as well as support the growth of a
company of strategic importance for the region.
Main messages
- Project of significant benefit to the East of Exeter area, an
RDA ‘priority place’; to an RDA Strategic Company; and to three RDA
priority sectors: advanced engineering, tourism and aerospace.
- Academy will provide training for local people in skills areas
that can lead to higher paid jobs. Exeter has a lower proportion of
adults with level 4+ qualifications than the region as a whole.
Average full-time weekly earnings in the city are also lower than
the regional average (on 2006 and 2007 data).
- An ageing workforce and recruitment of young people are key
issues for the engineering industry in the South West. About a
fifth of engineering establishments in the South West had
hard-to-fill vacancies in 2008.
- If the RDA and LSC had not agreed funding by mid-2009, the
opportunity to relocate flight simulators from other parts of the
UK, an important component of the project, would have been
lost.
Facts and figures
Costs
- Total project cost put at £24m. Of this, RDA providing £2.95m,
LSC £4.2m, and Flybe £16.85m.
- Finance structure: the RDA will be contracting directly with
Flybe but on the basis that the project was approved through the
LSC’s Competitive Skills Capital Projects Fund.
Timescale
- RDA approved funding of £123,500 for the business plan and due
diligence in 2008
- RDA approved capital funding of £2.83m for the project in
mid-2009, contingent on LSC funding
- LSC approved its contribution Sept 2009, unlocking RDA
funding
- Construction commenced in October 09, with a view to completion
in the second half of 2010.
Case Study
The project will be of significant benefit to the East of Exeter
area (a priority place) and the aviation industry in the South
West, including the support of an RDA strategic company.
Exeter College and Exeter University will benefit from the
partnership with the private sector.
The Academy is projected to be 65:35 open access by year 5
benefitting local businesses and regional, national and
international aviation businesses.
The Academy will enable Flybe to centralise its training and
will ensure the relocation of flight simulators from Farnborough
and Crawley.
The economic sectors that will benefit most are: advanced
engineering, aerospace and tourism.
The Academy has the potential to become the region’s centre of
excellence for maintenance, repair and overhaul, and is working
with the Aerospace Training South West initiative and the RDA
towards achieving this.
If the project had not proceeded, 50 existing training-related
Flybe jobs would probably have been lost.
The project will help secure the workforce of tomorrow by
working with schools including providing two weeks of work
experience per month.
It will strengthen the local economy by working with local
businesses eg through a mentoring scheme, promoting the South West
region, and increasing labour supply in engineering eg by
encouraging women to become engineers.
The buildings have been designed to achieve the highest
environmental standards, using natural ventilation and rainwater
harvesting. It will be BREEAM excellent.
Flybe has agreed to other outreach activities such as hosting
best practice and other visits in conjunction with the
Manufacturing Advisory Service and the Leadership and Management
Advisory Service.
Conclusion
- RDA investment crucial to project proceeding.
- Too early to assess project’s impact.
Further information
Date case study written: April 2010
Theme: Regenerating the regions
Contact: South West RDA press office by email news.enquiries@southwestrda.org.uk or
telephone 01392 229389