Learning Centre

Working closely with young people and partners, we will design a new Learning Centre to provide much-needed, bespoke learning facilities dedicated to the development and delivery of lifelong learning programmes.

Our current learning spaces are at capacity, and in poor condition. In 2023, we turned away around 2,000 learners due to lack of space, storage and inadequate facilities. Our aging lunch facility, which only holds 60 people, is isolated from other buildings and suffers regular water ingress. New facilities will welcome an additional 8,000 learners a year, as well as offering community and lifelong learning activities.

The image depicts a group of school children in High viz jackets participating in an school trip at the RAF Museum.

The new Learning Centre will interlink with our new exhibition enabling exploration, discovery and debate and will ignite visitors’ curiosity, both in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), as well as in art, history and design. They will provide safe spaces for social and emotional learning using creative experiences to explore challenging issues.

The facilities will also support programmes and activities developed for and delivered across the Museum site and across the Midlands, designed with the widest range of participants and subject matter in mind.

The image shows a group of children taking part in an educational activity involving robots and surrounding a table.

A lifelong learning programme

We will carry out research with our local Midlands communities and partners to understand how the Museum can best support them in a lifelong learning offer.

The programme will be designed to support the development of new and existing skills and to improve the wellbeing of participants through targeted activities delivered onsite in the new Centre, as well as supporting online and offsite outreach activities.

Our award-winning Access and Learning team will design and deliver activities that are unique to our stories and collection but that have universal relevance. Workshops will include role modelling and mentoring that enable participants to make choices about their future training, career pathways and ongoing personal development in an innovative, safe, social and fun environment. All our activities will be adaptable to suit the specific needs of visiting groups, including those with mobility and sensory impairments and other special needs.

The image depicts a group of students walking around the Royal Air force Museum and past some aircraft.

Partner organisations have indicated that they will use the RAF Museum as an inspiring and relevant venue in which to deliver training, activities and a range of other programmes. In addition, as part of this project, the Museum will work with our partners to broaden our pool of Learning Ambassadors who will help deliver activities and role modelling to a wider and more diverse audience.

Midlands Development Programme is being made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to progress our plans for this project.