Students aiming for the sky

A pioneering project between Trent Valley Gliding Club in Lincolnshire and North Lindsey College in Scunthorpe is inspiring high-flying engineering technology students to ‘Aim for the Sky’.

‘Aim for the Sky’ is a new ground-breaking partnership funded as part of the National Collaborative Outreach Programme. The programme will see over 200 students from colleges and local secondary schools experience training flights as pilots under instruction.

Students will also take part in briefings about the theory of flight, meteorology and navigation and get involved with airfield operations. All the sessions will take place at Trent Valley Gliding Club based at Kirton in Lindsey in North Lincolnshire with each student being able to benefit from pilot tutoring over three free glider flights.

Students will benefit from 12 hours of practical and theoretical teaching over a two-week period. ‘Aim for the Sky’ will encourage students to access opportunities, which are currently unavailable to them and help open doors for potential new careers in the aviation industry. For example, enabling the students to experience aviation from the perspective of a pilot, ground crew, technicians and operations.

Gliding Instructor Richard Malam from Trent Valley Gliding Club spoke of the new programme and his enthusiasm for the partnership: “We love teaching gliding skills to young people. Taking them up on their first flights in a glider and sharing their excitement at the views from up there makes it all worthwhile for us.”

Yvonne Elliott, Schools and Colleges lead for the British Gliding Association, said: “This project is a superb example of how gliding provides an excellent ground work for many careers, not just aviation or aerospace, through engaging opportunities for young people linked to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).”

Level 3 Electrical Engineering student, Ben Rozewicz, said: “It’s really cool, this experience is not something that happens a lot and it’s different. I feel a bit nervous but I’m in safe hands.”

The programme is scheduled to finish in June, so to find out more about the British Gliding Association and the programme, please click here.

If you have a case study which highlights how you've positively engaged with your local area, please get in touch with aburgess@sportandrecreation.org.uk.