History of Farnborough College of Technology

Farnborough College of Technology roots go back to the days of the Royal Aircraft Factory. In 1913 the War Office authorised classes to be held in the factory 4 evenings a week at 10/- (50p) a session teaching mathematics, mechanics, drawing and chemistry and so the “Trade Lads School” was started. It then had to stop due to the First World War and the increase in the work in the factory at that time but studies reconvened in 1917.

In 1936 Hampshire Education Committee started to have some responsibility for providing technical education from which the ONC (Ordinary National Certificate) in Mechanical Engineering evolved. Studying for this qualification was mainly done during the day and in 1941 the HNC (Higher National Certificate) was approved by the then Ministry of Education.

In 1943 it was decided to set up an independent technical school and the following year the Royal Aircraft Establishment Technical School took over from the Trade Lads School. The RAE Technical School had the remit to produce men “trained both theoretically and practically to carry out research and development work in both the RAE and industry” – the Mission Statement of the day. The Trade Lads School had been housed in various factory workshops but the new Technical School was housed in an old convent.

In the early 1950s the site across the road from the RAE Technical School became available and work on Farnborough College as we know it began in 1955. There were problems with the construction of the new building, as the country was still in the years of reconstruction after the end of World War Two and steel was difficult to come by. Some very large air raid shelters had to be removed and it seems that the environment was still a consideration during the 1950s as the designers worked around keeping most of the trees on site, something always taken into consideration now when looking at new proposals for the College.

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