Insight, collaboration and progress were the main themes of a recent visit by representatives from the Air & Space Institute, Newark to Morocco.
Following a long period of collaboration between Lincoln College, The British Council and Universities, Mohammed VI Academy of Civil Aviation, Institut des Métiers de l’Aéronautique and Ecole mohammadia d'ingenieurs in Casablanca, Morocco, this visit covered not only ways of working together, but also knowledge sharing between the partnership. The British Council and British Consult for UK trade in Morocco hosted the event to allow collaboration of the partners to form great awareness and learning of future technologies.
Head of Newark Campuses, Penny Taylor MBE and ASI Curriculum Director, Jason Pimborough not only took part in a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mohammed VI Academy of Civil Aviation but also visited Institut des Métiers de l’Aéronautique (IMA) and Ecole mohammadia d'ingenieurs, an automotive spare parts importer and distributor operating in Morocco since 1973.
Penny, said: "This was a great opportunity to further develop our partnership with our contemporaries in Morocco. Our ambitions as a Defence Technical Excellence College (DTEC) are matched by our Moroccan partners and the commonalities in both of our setups is great to see.
"We were lucky enough to tour facilities across Casablanca as well as visit industry partners to learn how they link learning and employment. Elle and I were also able to lead a woman in leadership industry seminar at Ecole mohammadia d'ingenieurs which really showed our team the challenges which exist for both us in the UK and our partners here in Morocco."
Also present on the trip was Elle Barnaby, a former ASI learner who is now an Apprentice Software Developer at SRC UK and is also an Apprenticeship Ambassador across the East Midlands.
Elle said: "We've been able to see a lot on this visit to Mohammed VI Academy of Civil Aviation, seeing all of the wonderful facilities and meeting the students. We also had several presentations covering the various projects they are involved in and it's been very inspiring."
As part of the College’s recent DTEC win, Jason led a seminar focused on how AI is being embedded across the Air & Space Institute and how emerging technologies are shaping future curriculum development. Reflecting on the importance of these discussions with international partners in Morocco, Jason said, ' The aviation and defence sectors are rapidly adopting AI-driven technologies, from predictive maintenance and autonomous systems to training and operational planning. If we are to remain at the forefront of skills development, our curriculum must reflect these changes. Our aim is to ensure learners leave ASI equipped with the knowledge, adaptability and confidence to thrive in an increasingly AI-enabled world.
The opportunity to discuss these challenges and opportunities with leading aviation and industrial partners in Morocco was particularly valuable. It reinforced that the demand for AI literacy, digital capability and advanced technical skills is not limited to the UK; it is a global priority. These conversations help ensure that ASI's curriculum remains internationally relevant, industry-informed and aligned to the future needs of employers across the aviation, aerospace and defence sectors.’
