Dassault Systèmes has announced a new partnership with specialist postgraduate institution Cranfield University, which will deliver a new 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Centre of Excellence.

The campus facility will provide experiential, initial and lifelong learning with Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform that enables the existing and future workforce to accelerate the digital and sustainable transformation of the aerospace industry.

The partnership was revealed at the 2023 Paris Airshow and answers a need to prepare students, technicians, engineers and innovators with the knowledge and know-how to thrive in the aerospace industry’s transformation journey toward digitalisation and sustainability.

The centre, which will officially open in September 2023, will offer unique learning opportunities combining virtual worlds on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with real-life project learning in order to upskill the workforce of today and tomorrow. Cranfield University will deliver courses and curricula designed in collaboration with aerospace employers and taught by platform-certified instructors to students and professionals wanting to upskill. It will help learners to boost employability by developing in-demand skills in virtual twin processes, data-driven manufacturing and sustainable design in the context of existing and future job roles.

“The journey towards digitalisation and sustainability will only be possible if the right skills are developed within the workforce,” said John Kitchingman, managing director EURONORTH and global vice-president for Customer Engagement, Dassault Systèmes. “With an aging workforce and an acute shortage of technical and digital skills, we know businesses in aerospace are struggling to maintain a competitive edge at a time when leadership in business sustainability is required. The new 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Centre of Excellence at Cranfield University will help to train and upskill the workforce of the future, helping the industry to continue to innovate sustainably by using digital technology.”

Professor Dame Helen Atkinson, pro-vice chancellor, School of Aerospace, Transport Systems and Manufacturing at Cranfield University added: “We’ve chosen to partner with Dassault Systèmes because of the ecosystem it already has within the aerospace industry, as well as the cutting-edge technology it has developed through its modelling, simulation and optimisation industry software. Its network of 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Centres of Excellence across the world will also provide invaluable knowledge-sharing opportunities, and we’re excited to work together to foster sustainable innovation and empower the workforce of today and of tomorrow.”

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