By james art GE Aerospace and the GE Aerospace Foundation are donating about $50,000 to upgrade one of the college’s evening classes with additional tools and materials.
The donation will also help create a training hangar and learning center at Prestwick Airport, giving around 100 students hands-on industry experience.
A spokesperson for GE Aerospace and the GE Aerospace Foundation said: “We believe it is important to contribute to the local economy by promoting skills where jobs are based.”
“The airport already serves aircraft maintenance, repair and operations for airlines and with local talent it can go even further.”
Ayrshire College said: “We are thrilled to receive a donation from GE Aerospace to provide more training opportunities for the workforce.
“GE Aerospace is focused on uplifting local communities and this donation will help build a stronger manufacturing workforce. We are excited to see what lies ahead for our students and are proud to continue this incredible partnership.”
A Glasgow Airport spokesman added: “We continue to engage and support strategic partners focused on regional economic development and support the training and development of new aviation engineers.
“There is a strong demand for skilled engineers from our MRO tenants as well as the world-class companies that make up the Aviation Campus that surrounds the airport.
“We want to develop a world-leading aeronautical engineering college and on-site innovation and are working with our strategic education partners as well as the aerospace cluster to create a learning environment that will provide the skills and practical training needed to ensure the sector continues to flourishes for future generations of aeronautical engineers.
“This training hangar is the first step in this much bigger vision and we look forward to welcoming the students to the hangar in the New Year.”