# E-Learning Composites Academy – Prepreg training courses: a toolbox for companies and teams

**For his new training course, the E-Learning Composites Academy is focusing on the business rules governing prepreg materials and has joined forces with STELIA Aerospace North America Inc. (STENA), a manufacturer of composite materials for the aerospace and defence industries. The aim of the partnership is to improve the skills of collaborators in the manufacture of composite structures.**

Under the leadership of Rolland Delorme, Chief Operating Officer, STENA has embarked on a mission to improve the capabilities of its workforce through digital training. As Rolland Delorme explains, “ _Jean-Pierre Cauchois, composite materials expert and CEO ofComposites Expert, joined this initiative. The training organization’s state-of-the-art digital platform for composite manufacturing processes proved to be perfectly suited to STELIA North America’s needs, facilitating the creation of customized training material for thermoset prepregs, hand lay-up and autoclave curing_

E-Learning Composites Academy is the first training platform dedicated to the processing of thermosetting and thermoplastic composite materials, combining theory, practical exercises in the form of BOXes and the integration of software and digital twins into the courses.

Commenting on the move, Rolland Delorme said: “ _This strategic collaboration is designed to fill the skills gap thatSTENA faces, particularly in the rural area of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and competitive area of Mirabel, Quebec. STENA operates a primary facility in Lunenburg and a secondary facility in Mirabel, focusing on traditional composite manufacturing techniques such as hand lay-up of prepreg materials. The shortage of skilled labour, compounded by the lack of formal training programmes in composites, led to the search for an innovative and effective educational solution. Under the umbrella of the E-Learning Composites Academy, the collaboration drew on the expertise of STENA’s production and engineering teams and specialists from Hexcel, a leading manufacturer of advanced composite materials. The resulting training programme, available in English and French, not only will benefit our teams in Nova Scotia and Quebec, but is also an invaluable asset to the broader aerospace and composites industry._

Carolina Brantes, Technical Support Manager for France, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific at Hexcel, explains that “ _Developing our employees’ knowledge of the applications of composite materials in industrial environments is an essential value for Hexcel. This enables us to offer a quality service for our products and to support the development of our teams. By combining theoretical online courses with practical classroom work, E-Learning Composites Academy is perfectly suited to the needs of today’s industry and the flexibility demanded by the new generation._ ”

This new module will lead to international certification in a few months’ time (TOCTE® : Test of Composite Technical Evaluation). This final stage in the development and recognition of our teams is being carried out with some of the biggest names in the aerospace industry. 

No previous knowledge of prepreg materials is required for this new course, which is aimed at new entrants with no knowledge of the process, operators, technicians and methods offices, as well as experienced teams wishing to refresh or add to their knowledge. 

The course is structured around the following topics: general aspects of composite materials; health, safety and environment; transformation technologies in the aeronautical field; definition and manufacture of prepreg materials; vocabulary and technological stages involved in a school part.

In line with the quality standards required for the processing of prepreg parts in the aerospace industry, the new course covers almost 400 business rules.

E-Learning Composites Academy offers a complete learning programme with implementationsin clean room, material storage, cutting, tooling, curing and demoulding. These six chapters, specific to this transformation process, set out all the business rules that need to be learnt andmastered. Each chapter is followed by a fun quiz, with a final assessment at the end of the course.

E-Learning Composites Academy provides companies with a toolbox in which production managers, technical and methods department managers, can customize the training programmes of their employees according to their profiles and professional roles.

It’s a training programme with drawers, designed to help you master a rigorous transformation process. According to Jean-Pierre Cauchois, this is an asset for the aeronautics sector: “ _The human element in this technology is very important for parts with high added value, which is why E-Learning Composites Academy wanted to put people at the centre of this approach and give them a learning structure and recognition for mastering this complex process_ ” . 

Looking to the future, Rolland Delorme says he is “ _enthusiastic about supporting Composites Academy’s goal of achieving international certification for its training programmes. This partnership not only responds to the industry’s pressing challenges, but also reaffirms STENA’s commitment to encouraging innovation and developing talent in the composites manufacturing sector_ ”.

E-Learning Composites Academy warmly thanks the following companies and individuals for their expertise, involvement, validation and contribution to this new learning resource:

STELIA Aerospace North America Inc.: 

  * Rolland Delorme (Chief Operating Officer)
  * Kim Bordeleau (Production Manager)
  * Xavier Gagné-Brulotte (Manufacturing Engineering Team Leader)
  * Alexandre Geoffrion (Manufacturing Engineering Technologist)



The Hexcel company:

  * Carolina Brantes (Technical Support Manager France, MiddleEast, Africa and Asia Pacific)



But also these internationally recognized experts:

  * Jean-Pierre Jumel
  * Michel Glotin
  * Fabrice Landais
  * Philippe Mangin
  * Vincent Belorgeot



Meet E-Learning Composites Academy at JEC WORLD 2024, hall 6, booth N4-5.