Aviation opening up many career opportunities

KINGSTON — Have you ever considered a career in the aviation industry, maybe as a pilot, a flight attendant, or even a mechanic? Well, if you’ve been thinking about pursuing a career in this industry, there will be more opportunities for you to do so in coming years.

With the aviation industry growing significantly, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is projecting that some 25,000 additional airliners will be added to the global fleet by year 2026.

Speaking to JIS News, Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Darby, says this augurs well for the industry and is urging Jamaicans to take full advantage of this development.

“To operate these aircraft, the industry will require an additional 480,000 mechanics and 350,000 pilots in addition to other aviation skills, such as flight attendants and air traffic controllers, to operate these new or additional aircraft,” he said.

He added that, this presents an opportunity for bright young people to start training to become the next generation of aviation professionals.

Lt. Colonel Darby says the aviation industry is a significant economic driver, as it contributes some 7.5 per cent of the global GDP, noting that there are numerous untapped areas for job seekers.

“There is airport management and many other skills and trades in the aviation industry that persons may wish to pursue. It’s not just maintenance and piloting, there are many other trades that are needed on the ground,” he tells JIS News.

Encouraging individuals to position themselves academically, to become a part of the global aviation labour force, he highlighted that they should meet several requirements.

“For aircraft maintenance training, they require six CXC’s (Caribbean Examination Council), including math, English and physics. For persons wishing to train as pilots, Geography would be an asset. Many of the airlines require their pilots to have a first degree, so if one is considering flight training to become an airline pilot, one may wish to bear this in mind, but there are still many who do not require a degree,” he points out.

Training can be acquired both locally and internationally. He says that along with the Caribbean Aviation Training Centre in Kingston, there are two other major aviation schools offering mechanics as well as pilot training.

 At the Tinson Pen Aerodrome, there is the Caribbean Aviation Training Centre, run by Captain Errol Stewart, formerly of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), known as the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School, which is an annex to a school in Guyana.

There is also the Caribbean Aerospace College operated by Leslie and Jamie Chang, which offers training in aircraft maintenance and other courses, including air transport courses.

He posits that it is important to stimulate students towards the industry as part of the curriculum of any top high school in Jamaica. These schools would need to align themselves with one of the main aviation training schools, in order to get a programme going.

He says that once training has been completed at any of these institutions, individuals will receive a license to operate in the aviation industry anywhere in the world, as their training and licensing are on par with the ICAO’s standards.

“Our licenses are validated in many countries around the world, because we train and license to ICAO standards, and we want to maintain those very high standards in order to make the Jamaican employee in aviation one that attracts the best jobs and the best wages,” he says.

So with this rapidly dynamic and evolving world of flights come many opportunities for Jamaicans to receive training and certification in the aviation industry. What are you waiting for, why not get trained for a job in the aviation industry?

By CHRIS PATTERSON, JIS Reporter