The Kraków Airport Aviation Education Centre provides information on the most essential aspects of air travel and on the organisation of the airport.
The centre is located in the west part of the Administration and Technical Building (in the former domestic terminal). In the first stage of its operation, the centre will organise excursions, theme classes, theatre plays for children, and later on it will also offer specialist courses, workshops and elearning courses. The guests will be able to use a flight simulator and meet a humanoid robot named Sanbot, who will assist them during their visit. The visitors will also have a chance to take on the role of an airport employee and work at a given “passenger path” station. The curriculum is adjusted to the age of the participants.
The centre will also serve as a venue for courses directed to adults. The centre’s offer will include training courses in airport procedures, service standards, and specialist courses with the use of IT (elearning, multimedia). Its space can also be used to organise special events for children, which will include games and activities pertaining to aviation. In time, the project will be extended by other initiatives directed to children, the youth and elders.
The centre boasts 400 square metres of space, featuring a common room with parts of terminal infrastructure (the airport in a nutshell), themed rooms and two e-learning rooms, each equipped with 6 computers.
The project combines the involvement and years of professional experience of the airport staff with latest trends in the aviation industry. It is an answer to the needs of both the inhabitants and education units of Małopolska. The development of education constitutes one of the goals included in the Kraków Airport social responsibility strategy.
The airport employees have a long-standing record of involvement in educational projects, such as “Need Help” – the airport’s own training programme for students, which was introduced as part of a course for airport and terminal operation technicians 11 years ago. Another example is the “Airport Walk” programme, which has run for the last 7 years, and has been attended by over 31 thousand people to date. Only this year, nearly 5 thousand participants have used the “Airport Walk” offer.
For years, Kraków Airport has supported schools in Balice and Morawica, and since September it has also assumed patronage of a bilingual class in Rząska. Kraków Airport also cooperates with higher education centres in Kraków, where the airport staff share their expertise with the students. For many years, the airport has also been a patron of the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków.
The full offer of the Aviation Education Centre can be accessed at CEL- Kraków Airport
Photos © Anna Karahan