NAMA rounds-off on-the Job-training for 48 graduating AIS cadets

NIGERIAN Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has rounded off a four-week on-the-job Training (OJT) for 48 Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) Cadets of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, in line with International Civil Aviation Standard and Recommended Practices (ICAO SARPS).

The OJT exercise which took place at designated airports in Lagos and Kano centres is part of the critical requirements for the cadets to attain certification by NCAT as full AIS Officers.

The cadets who commenced their Nine-Month Basic Aeronautical Information Management Officers Course (BAIMO) in October 2016 have been exposed to fundamentals in Maps and Charts, Air Traffic Services (ATS), Meteorology, Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/ Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM), Aerodrome Ground Aids (AGA), Aircraft Operating Characteristics (AOC) among other courses and are due to graduate in August 2017.

A workshop on e-Flight Plan and e-NOTAM was also held at the agency’s headquarters in Lagos at the end of the OJT exercise, designed to help cadets appreciate the practical aspects of electronic dissemination of aeronautical information to airspace users.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu has congratulated the cadets for their “excellent performance,” during the OJT, saying that the result of the training showed that staff of the agency appreciate efforts of management towards building capacity of workers.”.

In a statement, Akinkuotu maintained that NAMA would continue to give priority to training and retraining of staff as this would enable them to effectively man the sophisticated Air Traffic Management infrastructure being deployed by the agency.

Also in his remarks, the General Manager of Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) department, Alhaji Kabir Gusau noted that the OJT exercise was meant to prepare cadets to appreciate the theoretical aspects of their training through practical interface with equipment and colleagues at work stressing that “our choice of training centres like Lagos was deliberate because this is where NOTAMs are promulgated.

There is also the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Office were amendments are made, just as we have the Charts Office which carries out airport survey, leading to the production of maps and charts.

All these combined to give the cadets an interesting experience.” Gusau also expressed optimism that with the level of aggressive manpower training currently embarked upon by the agency, the AIS Automation project soon to be deployed will have a seamless and successful takeoff.