1.0     Introduction

RAF Cosford is the home to a number of RAF, Defence and several civilian organisations (as discussed above). Several training schools are at the site and between them they are responsible for the provision of all Phase 2 and some Phase 3 training for the RAF trade specialisations of Aeronautical Engineering, Information and Communication Technology and Physical Training; the Defence school provides training in photography for the three Services.

Following their Initial Officer Training at RAF College Cranwell, future RAF Engineer officers also receive their Phase 2 specialist training at RAF Cosford.

The training provided at RAF Cosford prepares military personnel for careers in their specialist branch (Officers) or trade (Airmen/Airwomen) and for the performance of their branch/trade tasks on deployed operations.

2.0     RAF Cosford National Aeronautical Academy

The National Aeronautical Academy (NAA) based at RAF Cosford is a joint venture by the Marches, Staffordshire and Black Country Local Enteprise Partnerships (LEPs), created to exploit the rapid growth in overseas customers actively seeking aeronautical engineering training from the RAF. The NAA will transform defence training and enable it to become an international centre of excellence.

The Defence School of Aeronautical Engineering (DSAE) at RAF Cosford is currently responsible for 1,923 apprentices and is recognised as one of the top training centres in the world. In the face of growing international competition DSAE has trained over 1300 international graduates from 16 different countries since 2005, generating £47m of income, much of this from the Gulf States.

The buoyant sales prospects of the Typhoon and Hawk aircraft up and down the Gulf region suggests there is potential for £130m of income over the next five to ten years through providing both residential and in-country opportunities.

Therefore, the LEPs’ vision for RAF Cosford is to provide training excellence to the wider aeronautical sector and will achieve this by harnessing the growth potential of DSAE and other technical training operational units at RAF Cosford, combining this with industry and academia to create a national/global Aeronautical Academy. The NAA is sited within the Shropshire Wolverhampton to Telford Technology Corridor, a focal point for the knowledge- economy and advanced engineering sectors, and at the heart of one of the largest pools of

3.0     Useful Links

• http://www.forcespublishing.co.uk/pages/raf_publications_pages/dcae_cosford.html
• http://www.vmarsmanuals.co.uk/archive/4914_Radar_Training_Notes.pdf
• http://www.marcheslep.org.uk/document-library/doc_download/57-new-business-model-national-aeronautical-academy-raf-cosford