AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has launched training of trainers for International Air Transport Association (IATA) at the National Institute of Transport (NIT) to produce sufficient professionals and meet aviation industry demand.
This makes NIT an authorised IATA training centre for professionals in the aviation industry.
TCAA Director- General Hamza Johari said at the launch held at NIT that: “I commend NIT for the efforts made to meet IATA criteria and obtain accreditation to run four important courses with international standards.”
“It is clear that the IATA courses will improve Tanzania’s aviation industry and address a shortage of professionals.”
Mr Johari also said the launch of IATA courses was very important at this time when the government had invested heavily in the transport sector, including the aviation industry.
“To ensure that this training continues to be delivered up to standard, TCAA pledges to work with you to ensure this training is sustainable, but also productive for the community,” he said.
NIT Rector, Prof Zacharia Mganilwa, named IATA’s four courses that would be offered by the institute, including airline marketing, airline customer service, fundamentals of airport operations as well as global distribution system fares and ticketing.
“Offering IATA courses at NIT will provide opportunities for whoever looks for these courses at affordable costs,” Prof Mganilwa said.
He went further saying the move was an opportunity for securing employment opportunities in giant airline companies and airports globally.
“The programmes offered will shape them with the best required knowledge and skills in the aviation industry,” he said.
The rector said NIT’s objective was to have more IATA courses to meet demand and produce enough experts with skills and capability to improve services in the aviation industry.
However, Prof Mganilwa said “with government support, NIT had since 2012 started introducing aviation training courses to support the aviation industry which is growing very fast.”
To date 40 students had graduated in aircraft maintenance engineering whereby 32 graduated with a bachelor degree and eight ordinary diploma graduates.
He said in the cabin crew programme, 40 candidates had graduated since the start of such a programme in 2018.
NIT also planned to start offering Bachelor Degree in aircraft maintenance engineering (Avionics) as well as Diploma in aircraft maintenance engineering (Avionics) together with short courses which would capacitate engineers and technicians to perform their licence exams.
He named other current programmes offered by the institute, including Postgraduate Diploma in air transport management, a postgraduate diploma in transport and tourism management as longterm courses.
