AMERICAN aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, Aviation and Aerospace Development Foundation (AADF) and Springfountain will organize a conference in Lagos as part of efforts to address gaps in aviation, aerospace education and infrastructure in Nigeria.
The conference scheduled to hold on Monday, June 5, 2017 will hold at the Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja.
According to a statement by Mr Kayode Ariwodola- AADF Director and the conference coordinator, the forum seeks to provide a veritable platform through which the entire spectrum of the industry is reviewed and addressed particularly with regard to issues bordering on aviation education and aerospace education infrastructure in Africa’s most populous country.
The conference, which is one of the global interventions to address points of concern in Nigeria’s aviation industry will address the need to review extant education policy.
According to organisers, the conference will offer a veritable platform to redefine the aviation narrative navigating around the Nigerian Education Policy and its many gaps as it affects aviation curriculum development and content; the provision of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority approved training organizations, the strategic plan of Association of African Training Organizations and a comparison with the Indian aviation policy.
The conference will also examine existing aviation policy with the objective of seeking clarity on Nigerian Aviation Education Policy to drive the present and future participation of Nigerians in the local and global aviation industry.
The conference will provide a platform for industry players to review the status of the aviation education infrastructure in Nigeria and the adequacy of the existing training infrastructure, equipment to produce Nigerians that can compete in the global aviation industry.
” The conference shall provide another window for various stakeholders to carry out Gap Analysis of the extant Aviation Education Policy required for Nigeria to deliver a World Class Aviation industry. The need to transform and sustain the future of the Nigerian and African Aviation Industry. It shall also seek to create dialogue for experience sharing by policy makers in aviation and education policymakers, operators, airline operators and entrepreneurs.
” It shall also serve as a rallying point for the commencement of a catch them young programme for aviation.”
Mrs Fagbemi of Springfountain also said the forum could not have been convened at a better time given the 2016 Boeing Pilot & Technical Outlook.
The respected industry forecast of personnel demand, projects that 617,000 new commercial airline pilots, 679,000 new maintenance technicians and 814,000 new cabin crew will be needed to fly and maintain the world fleet over the next 20 years.
Meeting this demand, Mrs Fagbemi said will require innovative solutions focused on educational outreach and career pipeline programmes.
She said :” To inspire the next generation of pilots, technicians, and cabin crew, new technologies, devices and training methods will be needed to meet a wide range of learning styles.
“The growing diversity of aviation personnel will also require instructors to have cross-cultural and cross-generational skills to engage tomorrow’s workforce.
“Although Asia-Pacific remains the region with the highest overall demand, there has been a significant increase in the expected number of skilled resources required in other parts of the world.
“New market opportunities, such as the opening of Cuba for the North American market and increased intra-Europe travel for the European market, have strengthened demand.”
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Good news. Meanwhile, they should also be planning to bring some of their manufacturing/production to Nigeria. We have lots of aeronautical engineering graduates in the country already.