Case Study: Royal Air Force - Valued by Employees

Staffordshire University is a member of a consortium of four universities who work in partnership with the RAF to deliver industry-recognised qualifications for service personnel.

The RAF wanted us to provide courses that were flexible and relevant and that took previous learning into account. It was important that learning credits could be accumulated. And programmes also needed to be flexible enough to accommodate service personnel changing base or being posted abroad.

In response to their needs, we developed bespoke Foundation Degrees in Leadership and Management and Aeronautical Engineering that conform with the very specific requirements they had.

Delivery is offered on an in-house and distance learning basis, and the option to progress to an Honours degree is built into the programme.

The high numbers of RAF personnel to have enrolled reflects the value placed on these qualifications. Service personnel understand the qualifications enhance promotion prospects and career opportunities, and the RAF understands that investing in training is an effective staff-retention tool.