Stansted Airport College celebrated its sixth anniversary by hosting the annual Student Celebration Awards on Monday 17 June, to recognise the outstanding achievements of its trainees since opening its doors in September 2018.

The College is a partnership between London Stansted Airport and Harlow College – the first of its kind at any airport in the country, offering courses in Aviation, Cabin Crew, Events Management, Engineering and Aircraft Maintenance.

The Student Celebration Awards recognise the outstanding achievement made by students this year. They celebrate a wide range of achievements from academic success to sheer determination and effort. 

The ceremony was held on the college campus, where students and proud parents mingled with employers from many of the companies the college has forged strong links with since its opening, including Titan Airways, Royal Aeronautical Society, Down Hall Hotel, GT Engines, ACS Aviation Industries, Crewlink and Mac Aviation, as well as representatives from Manchester Airport Group (London Stansted Airport).

Opening the proceedings was High Sheriff of Essex, David Hurst DL, who also presented the first three Trainee of the Year awards.

David said of the event: “A great evening celebrating the students and their achievements. Well done to students, staff and sponsors for making the event a success.”

Among the prestigious awards were the Apprentice of the Year Award, won by Level 3 Engineering apprentice Joe Marsh, and the Governor’s Award, won by Level 3 Travel & Tourism trainee Freya Odell. 

There were also awards for trainees who had undertaken a Pilot Enrichment Programme, run in conjunction with Skyborne Airline Academy, where they had 33 weeks of immersive learning with CAA approved Professional Knowledge Instructors, including a Pilot Simulator session and an airport visit. 

Victoria Clayden Smith, Head of Stansted Airport College, said of the evening: “It was amazing to celebrate the success of our students and to watch their parents be so proud and the staff that had supported them to be so proud. It’s great to have our employer partners here as well to share in that success, because they play such a massive part and many of those employers here today are employing our students who will be leaving and graduating with us.”

Karen Spencer, Principal and Chief Executive of Stansted Airport College, said: “We are really proud of all of our students at Stansted Airport College. It’s always fabulous to come to the college and be right in the heart of the airport. Our students can genuinely see their next steps from here. They’re going into a fantastic range of employment opportunities from Apprenticeships in engineering to cabin, crew, and working in aviation operations. We could not do this without the support of London Stansted Airport and all of the fantastic employees. Thank you to everybody for supporting our students.”