Ikeja – The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) on Saturday said it had trained no fewer than 13,000 Nigerian and foreign professionals since its establishment in 1964.
NCAT Rector, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick, said this at the maiden NCAT Alumni Association (NCATAA) lecture in Lagos.
Caulcrick said that those trained include Pilots, Air Traffic Controllers, Aeronautical Engineers, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, and other relevant non-professionals in the industry.
He regretted that one fundamental issue that was having a debilitating effect in the industry was the high cost of training aviation professionals.
The rector said urgent steps must be taken to make aviation training one that any willing and qualified Nigerian could access and not an exclusive elitist field available for the rich alone.
He said that NCAT’s robust efforts were aimed at building capacity for the sector, to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the new generation of aviation professionals.
“From a modest beginning, we have grown to an enviable status as an aviation training centre of excellence.
“Our position as the most comprehensive Civil Aviation training centre in Africa is not challenged as we maintain the core professional areas such as Flying, Aircraft Maintenance and Air Traffic Management.
“Others are Air Traffic Safety Electronic Engineering and Aviation Management, all co-located on the Zaria campus,” he said.
According to Caulcrick, the college has been authorised to run the Training Instructors course of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) TRAINAIR PLUS Programme of the Global Aviation Training Office, which is still ongoing.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
He said that the college was an International Air Transport Association (IATA) Authorised Training Centre and the college was currently processing an application to become an ICAO Regional Training Centre of Excellence.
“We have also been granted an interim accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International to run Post-Graduate Diploma Courses.
“We are also at advanced stage to operate satellite study centres at Lagos, Abuja, Minna, Uyo and Abia States,’’ he said.
The rector said that the college did not intend to rest on its oars, but had a dream of flying even higher and completing favourably with other world class aviation training institutions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the programme was “Human Resources Development in Nigerian Aviation: Challenges and Imperative.” (NAN)
