New
approaches to help the aeronautics and space industries attract and
retain technology and engineering talent will be the focus of The Next
Century of Flight (NCF) Education Forum, an innovative new
international conference session during the first Aviation
Week-Toulouse Symposium March 12-13 in Toulouse, France.

The NCF Education Forum capitalizes on the 2003 commemoration of
the flight centennial to promote innovation and discovery in
aeronautics and space. The goal of the Forum series is to encourage a
systems approach to career and workforce development, and to promote
communication and partnership among the current and future generations
of leaders in aeronautics and space.

The Toulouse event will bring together top college and university
engineering students, education leaders, technology managers and human
resources professionals from the area’s leading aerospace and
technology companies and schools in a highly interactive half-day
workshop to:

  • share knowledge, experience and success stories
  • identify critical workforce opportunities for growth and
    competitiveness
  • collaborate on integrated solutions to capitalize on those
    challenges
  • contribute to a blueprint for developing and motivating the
    workforce of the future

  • connect with a growing worldwide network of innovators

The Toulouse NCF Education Forum is supported by:

  • Groupe des Ecoles Aeronautiques et Spatiales France (GEA), and
    its member aeronautics and space engineering schools: ENAC,
    ENSICA, ENSMA and SUPAERO
  • Pegasus, the newly formed advocate for European aeronautics
    and space engineering education
  • the Education Programmes of the European Space Agency (ESA)
    and the Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the Boeing
    Company and Airbus

The results of the Toulouse NCF Education Forum will be reported
to the Symposium’s closing executive session on March 13.

The Toulouse event is the third in a series of workshops that
debuted last October during Aviation Week’s Aerospace Expo Conference
& Exhibition in Los Angeles, followed by a Forum conducted during the
World Space Congress later that month.

The Aviation Week-Toulouse Symposium is produced in partnership
with the Toulouse Aeronautics and Space Industry, with direct
participation and communications support by Alcatel Space, Airbus,
Astrium, the City of Toulouse, the Regional Council of Midi Pyrenees,
the General Council of Haute Garonne and the Toulouse Chamber of
Commerce, plus dozens of the region’s aerospace suppliers,
universities and government agencies.

The Symposium, sponsored by PTC, was created to stimulate new
ideas, solve problems and set an agenda for global industry leadership
and growth. It is designed to appeal to a wide range of global
aerospace management at all levels of the supply chain in every
industry sector — commercial, military and space.

“Because it is the aerospace capital of Europe, the Toulouse
region is a perfect location to host the NCF Education Forum,” said
Aviation Week Executive Vice President/Publisher Kenneth E. Gazzola.
“We are pleased to add this new education focus to the program for the
Toulouse Symposium.”

About Aviation Week Conferences & Exhibitions

Aviation Week Conferences & Exhibitions is the professional
education and events arm of the Aviation Week division of The
McGraw-Hill Companies. With nearly 50 products and services and an
audience of more than 1 million professionals and enthusiasts,
Aviation Week is the largest multimedia information provider to the
global aviation and aerospace industry. Its web portal,
www.AviationNow.com, offers the industry’s most reliable and
comprehensive real-time news, professional information and e-business
features.

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a global
information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial
services, education and business information markets through leading
brands such as Standard & Poor’s, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill
Education. The Corporation has more than 350 offices in 33 countries.
Sales in 2002 were $4.8 billion. Additional information is available
at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

Contact:

Aviation Week, New York
Chris Meyer, 212/904-3255
or
Alcatel Space
Thierry Deloye, 33 (0) 5 34 35 60 80