Training facilities for aviation sector jobs
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Airlines can float joint ventures to train an adequate number of pilots and cabin crew
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Though the civil aviation, shipping and port sectors may open up the floodgates of high salary jobs, the stakeholders do not seem to be unduly worried about the manpower requirement.
— FILE PHOTO
FREQUENT FLYERS: Students inside a mock aircraft cabin during a training session at an air hostess training institute in Mysore, Karnataka.
Everybody connected with the civil aviation sector knows about the projected growth potential as well as the needs in specialised jobs. But except a handful of private educational entrepreneurs, not many airlines or related industry bodies are doing enough about it. Similar is the scenario with regard to shipping and ports. Though they may open up the floodgates of high salary jobs and immense potential for training the required manpower, the stakeholders do not seem to be
unduly worried about the manpower requirement. Most of them seem to opt for the easy options — poach in competition or hire from abroad.
The civil aviation authorities explain that it is now public knowledge that public sector and private airlines in the country need to acquire over 800 new aircraft over the next five to ten years. This will be in addition to the existing fleet with all the airlines, providing for the possible retirement of ageing aircraft. “You can imagine the number of jobs that will come up in just the aviation sector. We will need an estimated 40,000 in cabin crew alone for both fresh employment and replacements. Are we training that kind of numbers? Leave alone the hostesses and stewards, what about commercial pilots? Many of the new airlines have hired foreign pilots — from East Europe or West Asia. How long can this go on. It is about time that the airlines thought of creating training institutions of the kind that Air India or Indian Airlines did in the past,” argues a former Regional Director of Indian Airlines. He considers at least some of the foreign pilots now flying the private aircraft “far from satisfactory.”
Dearth of pilots
Some of the senior pilots from both public and private sector airlines privately concur with that view, but insist that the dearth of qualified commercial pilots may be staring in the face of many airlines. With many of them now in the process of fleet expansion, this problem can acquire serious dimensions. All of them agree that training and recruiting Indian citizens will be the better option, but it cannot happen overnight. “There is a prescribed format for training. You need a minimum number of flying hours to get a commercial pilot’s licence. Then you need to fly as a co-pilot and do a minimum number of landings and take offs, in addition to flying hours again to become a commander. These are well laid down rules. It is because we have not trained adequate hands that the airlines are hiring them from abroad,” reasons a Bangalore-based commander, who has trained and retrained in at least three different aircraft.
A couple of airlines have entered into a contract or understanding with institutions to train and recruit hostesses and stewards, but even that may not be enough. Some of the airlines manage to put them through a basic training module after recruitment, which is why some of these young men and women have to learn on the job. But this cannot happen for pilots. That may be dangerous.
Expensive courses
In addition to the established Central Training institution of Indian Airlines in Hyderabad, the flying school in Rae Baereli has acquired a certain standing. A handful of private institutions and colleges have started training programmes for pilots, in collaboration with institutions abroad — at least two of them have tied up with Australian universities or institutes to provide the flying training. Such courses cost a hefty sum — well above Rs. 20 lakh.
It may be worthwhile and even cost-effective as well as revenue generating for some of the airlines to float a joint venture to train an adequate number of pilots and cabin crew. At least over the next two years they may be able to generate suitable, trained hands. With both Boeing and Airbus willing to invest in aviation infrastructure in India, as a major market, it should be possible to get them to provide simulators for training.
In addition, pilots suggest, the State governments must take the initiative to revive and revamp the flying schools that were functional in different centres till a few years ago. These can be run in collaboration with one or two airlines to train pilots. Many of the flying schools have become defunct. Ultimately, the answer may lie in going in for an Aviation University in a suitable place to create a training infrastructure for all kinds of jobs in the sector.
Shipping industry sources say the situation in their sector may be no different. “At one point of time, India provided qualified staff — marines and engineers — to shipping lines across the world. Now we are unable to generate our own requirements. The industry will need about 25,000 officer level staff over the next few years and we can hardly meet 50 per cent of that requirement now,” says Capt. Kumar, a former shipping officer now teaching in a private institution. The question remains: What is the industry doing about it?
V. JAYANTH
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