AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE National Institute of Transport (NIT) has organised International Air Transport Association (IATA) training courses for six weeks to build the capacity of its internal and external aviation instructors so that they may meet aviation international standards.
Speaking at the closing of the training courses in Dar es Salaam, School of Aviation Technology Principal Denis Mwageni said: “Offering IATA courses at NIT will provide an opportunity for Tanzanians seeking to study these courses at affordable costs.”
He said the courses that started in September were a unique opportunity for trainees to secure employment in any leading global airline.
The external instructors were from Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), Precision Air, Tanzania Government Flight Agency (TGFA), Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) and senior practitioners in the air transport industry in the country.
The courses were on a quality management system for civil aviation, techniques, a safety management system for civil aviation, human factors in ground operations, aviation, internal auditing and crew resource management implementation.
About 150 aviation experts have acquired IATA short courses at NIT. This is a big success for an aviation training programme sustainability at NIT.
In light of this, NIT was recently accredited by IATA as a centre to offer four short courses on airline customer service, airline marketing, airport operation fundamental and global distribution system fares and ticketing.
The aim is to produce appropriate professionals and meet aviation industry demand.
“Apart from offering IATA courses, NIT also plans to establish a Bachelor Degree in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Avionics) and a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Avionics) together with engineering short courses to prepare unlicensed engineers capable of attempting licence exams this year,” he said.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, IATA Instructor from Houston Texas Andre Aurelien told instructors who had studied IATA courses that commitment was the best thing when it came to safety in the aviation industry.
For his part, NIT Deputy Rector-Academic, Research and Consultancy, Dr Prosper Mgaya, said “ATCL, Precision Air and other airline companies apart from instructor’s collaboration, they should also be the beneficiaries of those courses. Therefore, we invite airlines to bring their employees and managers to study IATA accredited courses at NIT.”
One of the beneficiaries of the trainers’ course for IATA, Capt Hilal Fuad, working with the national carrier ATCL, he said.
“NIT has done a very good thing to start offering IATA courses because they are meant to improve the air travel industry. Equipping yourself with IATA qualifications helps to widen your professional scope in many ways,” he added.
Another beneficiary, Capt Benjamin Maluli, who is working with Precision Air, said: “IATA professional courses are the best choices for those working in the air industry or who want to join the industry. I advise my colleagues to come and be trained here at NIT.”
NIT Rector, Prof Zacharia Mganilwa, recently said that NIT was in a final stage to accomplish all requirements and procedures for starting pilot training courses in the next academic year.
“Right now NIT is waiting for planes as part of fulfilling the conditions to start pilot training.”
The NIT has received $21.25m (over 47bn/-) from the government as a World Bank (WB) loan to support its transformation into a world class aviation training university.
