A Cutting-Edge Learning Facility
In 2025, Nortek Group was proud to deliver a landmark installation at the brand-new Leicester Aeronautical College technical training facility. This ground-up development represents a first of its kind in the UK, providing purpose-built engineering and electronics training environments for Space, Aerospace, Engineering, Electronics, and Flight Simulation disciplines.
Designed to support Level 4 and Level 5 qualifications, the college required a comprehensive suite of educational workbenches and technical furniture capable of meeting the demands of higher-level education. Durability, flexibility, and future-proofing were essential considerations throughout the project.
From the outset, Nortek Group worked in close collaboration with principal architect Tim Moss and building contractors Wilten Construction. This collaborative approach ensured that every stage of the design, specification, and installation process was accurately planned and seamlessly delivered.
By engaging early in the build programme, our design team was able to align engineering workbench layouts with services, room usage, and long-term teaching objectives — resulting in learning environments that are both technically advanced and highly adaptable.
With a wide range of specialist rooms to fit out, each space required a carefully considered specification. The Nortek Group design team worked room-by-room to ensure that each learning environment met its unique teaching criteria while maintaining consistency in quality and usability.
The main engineering room features a striking double-sided wall of our educational variation of Cee-line Plus Industrial Electronics Assembly Benches. When paired with Mains Power Trunking, integrated Fume Extraction, and facility frames with overhead lighting, the result is a highly professional environment ideal for electronics assembly, diagnostics, and repair training.
This same proven configuration was replicated on the first floor in a dedicated electronics classroom. Here, the space also incorporates a custom variation of our ever-popular MPD (Millennium Pupil Desk). Each desk is fitted with Plako castors at either end, enabling lecturers to quickly adapt the layout for different teaching styles, group work, or assessments. One side of the room benefits from a fully integrated fume extraction system, while both sides are equipped with Mains Power Trunking to support powered learning.
In the large main engineering workshop, Nortek Group maximised the available floor plan using Craftwork 1000 metalworking benches (2400 x 1200). These benches were specified with a bespoke configuration, including no vices, a 4mm oiled steel worktop, and legroom under-bench cupboards.
This design provides a versatile balance between storage, comfort, and adaptability — avoiding a single-use setup and allowing the space to support a wide range of engineering and fabrication activities.
In the Flight Simulation Room, the teaching staff were provided with a Kinetic Teacher’s Lectern, offering complete freedom of movement and flexibility during lessons. Students benefit from another full suite of custom MPDs with Plako castors, ensuring comfort, focus, and easy room reconfiguration to support simulator-based learning and theory instruction.
Inclusivity was a core principle throughout the project. Every teaching space includes a custom variation of Nortek Group’s Special Needs Variable Height (SNVH) Workstation. Designed specifically for wheelchair users and learners with differing physical requirements, each workstation includes an integrated facility frame, overhead lighting, Mains Power Trunking, and Fume Extraction Trunking.
These workstations ensure that every learner can participate fully and comfortably, reinforcing the college’s commitment to accessible, inclusive education.
This installation at Leicester Aeronautical College demonstrates Nortek Group’s expertise in delivering bespoke technical furniture solutions for advanced education. By combining robust British-manufactured products, intelligent space planning, and a consultative design approach, the college now benefits from a world-class learning facility built to support the next generation of aerospace and engineering professionals.
If your organisation is planning a specialist training facility or upgrading technical learning spaces, Nortek Group can provide a complete, end-to-end solution — from initial concept through to installation and beyond
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