€5.5million Centre for Aerospace Engineering opens at IT Carlow
IT Carlow’s €5.5million Centre for Aerospace Engineering has been officially opened by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohue,TD.
Based at the Institute’s School of Engineering, the Centre for Aerospace Engineering is the result of a multimillion euro investment by IT Carlow and the only third-level facility of its kind in the country. It will provide undergraduates in pilot studies, aerospace and aircraft systems engineering with a simulated live aircraft maintenance environment in which to acquire the most up-to-date industry skills. According to IT Carlow, graduates are enjoying careers with prestigious organisations such as the European Space Agency, Aer Lingus, British Airways, the UK’s Ministry of Defence and DLR (German Space Agency).
The Centre for Aerospace Engineering, which comprises an avionics workshop and a fleet of aircraft inside its own hangar, reflects IT Carlow’s niche offering in aviation related programmes and now positions IT Carlow as the leading aerospace education facility in the country, according to the Institute.
IT Carlow offers degree courses in Aero Engineering and Pilot Studies and its Bachelor of Engineering in Aircraft Systems is the only course of its kind in the country. IT Carlow is approved by the Irish Aviation Authority as a Part 147 Training Organisation where students may undertake the necessary theoretical and practical training toward obtaining their Aircraft Maintenance License (AML). Graduates from the Bachelor of Engineering in Aircraft Systems programme have achieved type rating to work on aircraft such as the Boeing 757. 90% of graduates are employed within the sector or go on to further study.
“Aviation is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world and the Centre for Aerospace Engineering was developed to ensure that our graduates are desirable to the leading airlines and specialist aircraft maintenance employers, both in Ireland and internationally. Alongside traditional studies in aerodynamics, aircraft design, mathematics, physics and technical communications, our students work on real aircraft inside the hangar. They’re even building their own Vans RV12 aircraft from scratch, which we hope will be airborne next year”, said Dr. Donnacha Lowney, Head of the Dept. of Aerospace, Mechanical and Electronic Engineering at IT Carlow.
President of IT Carlow, Dr. Patricia Mulcahy, said that developments such as the Centre for Aerospace Engineering and IT Carlow’s Dargan Centre have a direct knock-on benefit for Carlow as a whole. "IT Carlow is the biggest employer in Carlow, worth over €20m to the local economy and continuous growth and development at the Institute makes IT Carlow an engine for growth for the entire region," commented Dr. Mulcahy.
IT Carlow’s aerospace centre follows on from the opening by EU Commissioner Phil Hogan last year of the self-funded €7.4million dedicated research building, The Dargan Centre, which houses up to 150 research students working on bioenvironmental technologies, product design & innovation, computer gaming and health sciences, including the CMH (Centre for Men’s Health) - the only dedicated research centre for men’s health in the country.
Since its founding in 1970, IT Carlow has generated more than 40,000 graduates. It currently ranks as the fourth largest of Ireland’s 14 Institutes with 7,500 enrolments.
CAPTION: 2nd Year B. Eng. in Aircraft Systems student Bridget Corry with Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Paschal Donohue at the opening of the Centre for Aerospace Engineering at IT Carlow