– urged to meet demands of aviation sector
THE Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School located at Ogle, the only tertiary institution in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) continues to live up to its reputation.

Some of the graduants of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School.

On Thursday, 17 students of the engineering school who completed their three years of study graduated, while several of the first and second year students advanced in their ranks.

The subjects done for the year include basic instruments, propellers, mechanical systems, aircraft regulation, system and gas turbine engines, radio communication and navigation.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds who is at present performing the duties of president attended the graduation ceremony along with Executive Director of the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana, Captain Malcolm Chan-a-Sue, Head of Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) Geoff Da Silva who delivered the feature address and Director of Maintenance of LIAT Alan Alexander who provided the aviation insight.

Among the highlights of the ceremony was graduants’ display of their work at the school which included tool kits and a re-manufactured aircraft which was involved in a crash in the vicinity of the Kaieteur Falls. The work is being done by a team of young engineers who are all graduates of the school and represents the third such effort being undertaken for the year. Mavendra Chand, was awarded the best graduating student.

The Go-Invest Head, in his feature address, spoke broadly on the topic of developing Guyana into an open economy making reference to the aviation sector as a main beneficiary.

Go-Invest Head Geoff DaSilva speaking at the Aeronautical Engineering School graduation.

Da Silva was optimistic that in this new economy, the Ogle airport and the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) will become important links to North America. He believes also that the students are fortunate to be involved in a field which will give them the opportunity to see all of Guyana.

However, with the impact of the global recession and climate change on the aviation sector he urged them to be vigilant.

Chan-a-Sue boasted about the school being the only International Organisation of Standards (ISO) 9001 rated tertiary training organisation owned and operated by self supporting Guyanese.

After nine years of negotiations with Caribbean Airlines, a subsidiary of the school successfully started at the Piarco International Airport in Trinidad. The process started in September with 20 engineering apprentices.

Plans are also in place to have a branch of the school in the Bahamas early next year

In the coming year, the school will expand its curriculum to include advanced training. Classified module five level of training will make participants qualified to work on jets and larger aircrafts.

Chan-a-Sue said this training is in anticipation of the more advanced aircrafts which are expected to land on the new Ogle airstrip by the end of next year.

“You cannot, with all the technology and all the brilliant ideas, make anything happen unless you have well trained and well motivated human resources,” Chan-a-Sue said.

Despite the many successes and achievements of the reputable school, the students were urged to work with a goal of meeting the many demands of the aviation industry.

Alan Alexander made reference to the global recession which has put many airlines in heavy manpower losses or out of business and the withdrawal of many financial institutions that normally would have supported the aviation sector.

“It means that the competition for jobs out there is going to be very fierce and you are going to need to add to those aeronautical skills to be competitive…it is not enough today to have only the airplane, engines and avionic, licence. You need to enhance those with other skills,” Alexander emphasised.

The LIAT Director of Maintenance said maintenance personnel with Information Technology, business management and accounting skills are assets to the aviation sector. (GINA)