Fanshawe College will deliver aviation maintenance training to hundreds of military members under a $34 million contract with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The four-year deal is one of the largest contract ever awarded a Canadian college.
Starting in January, instructors from Fanshawe’s Norton Wolf School of Aerospace, Information & Defence Technologies will deliver the curriculum to nearly 300 armed forces members a year at the CFB Borden military base near Barrie.
Military graduates will get the same credentials as Fanshawe students throughout the fast-tracked 16-month program which aims to prepare aviation and aircraft technicians for “increasingly sophisticated aerospace capabilities in the years ahead,” Fanshawe said in Friday’s announcement.
“Together, we are helping develop the highly skilled aerospace and defense workforce that Canada needs today and in the future,” said Fanshawe President Peter Devlin.
The new contract means an easier pipeline between students and the military, with RCAF members now having the option to use their credits earned at the School of Aerospace Technology in Borden in a civilian manner with Fanshawe College.
“This partnership between Borden and the Aerospace Department at Fanshawe will provide future airmen and women with valuable credentials while strengthening Canada’s airpower,” said Canada’s defence minister, David McGuinty.
The deal is in keeping with Fanshawe’s position as a military-connected college that offers numerous supports for military personell, veterans and their families.
