From the Regions

This will require much perspiration and some inspiration. It will need to be a pan-industry approach and we will need market savvy. It will mean understanding what school-leavers want from a career and adapting to that message. We cannot forget the parents who will have a big say in where their young folk will be heading. This will not be easy for an industry that is used to being at the top of the ‘most desirable’ tree.

The industry will need to be there in force at the many skills expos, to be speaking at schools, TAFES and universities. It will mean enlisting the support of experienced aviation professionals to share their passion for our industry. This is all possible but it will need a concerted focus. Maybe the new energy in the Australian Aviation Associations Forum can be harnessed to spearhead the task?

It will mean a complete revamp of the Vet Fee Help Scheme which is almost impenetrable for non-university based flight schools. The failure of the scheme to deliver for the aviation training industry has been the subject of many presentations to Parliament and, indeed, has skewed the market. The talking has been done; let’s get some practicality into the scheme before it becomes irrelevant and even harmful to the large number of CASA approved flight schools.

The other elephant in the room is where do we find our future flight instructors? The question is far from rhetorical and it is imperative that we find some answers soon. It was the topic of a major recent speech by Boeing and they don’t normally waste their words. We need to accept here and internationally that flight instructors should have a sound career path in their own right. It may mean that we begin to select potential instructors from a pool of people who are interested in teaching rather than simply as a path to the airlines. Finally, there must be reasonable conditions on offer for people who have gone to the trouble of attaining a commercial licence and an instructor rating, often with MECIR.

The industry also needs to harness the great work of our sport aviation colleagues. They have inspired a new generation to take to the air and many others not to give up. A percentage of these sport pilots will want a career in commercial aviation, including some of their instructors. How do we encourage this transition to the next level? Are there barriers that we can ameliorate, both financially and regulatory? It is a pity that Ra-Aus is not a member of the Forum because it is an excellent structure within which to discuss this issue. However, a simple invitation to the Ra-Aus hierarchy should allow the conversations to proceed.

The high Australian dollar aside, this country has a natural aviation training environment. Some of our training companies have done well but there is more potential in the market, particularly in regional areas. While much focus is still on the resources industry, the boom may not last forever. IATA has issued well publicised figures for new pilots and engineers required over the next twenty years. These numbers are staggering and it is in Australia’s interest to encourage a large slice of this market to train here.
While our civil aviation manufacturing capacity has degraded over the past 35 years the same must not happen to our training industry. There is plenty of hard work ahead if we are to grow this important part of our industry. The demand is there……are we smart enough to harness it?