NATIONAL Institute of Transport (NIT) has started offering aircraft engineering courses for the academic year 2015/16 so as to produce appropriate graduates to cater for the needs of higher demand of workforce of the air sector currently growing at 12 percent annually.
Principal of the NIT’s School of Aviation Technology Dr Bartholomew Rufunjo said that they embarked on the process of establishing aviation studies since 2001 with the goal of producing more aviation experts who are very minimal in the country compared to the higher demand the sector needs.
Rufunjo also said that they completed all procedures to pursue the bachelor’s degree in pilot courses at the upcoming academic year of 2016/17.
He pointed out that the institute has ordered the latest airplane simulators from USA as the material facilitation for pilot courses that are staged to starts in the next academic year.
“Tanzania has very few aviation experts than what the market needs; we therefore call upon support from the stakeholders so as to ensure that we fill the gap. We believe by working with the vision that we have, we will solve the scarcity of workforce in air industry within time,” he said.
He said that the main challenges of establishing the aviation training was the limited resource capacity to fulfill the basic requirements of the establishment of the aviation training programmes.
“In order to address the challenge by building the training capacity, the National Institute of Transport concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) in 2012 to ensure that this school is established,” he said
He added: “The main objective of the MoU is to enable the two government institutions to collaborate among others in designing and conducting various training programmes, exchanging information, data and documents related to aviation related programs”
He underscored said that the MoU with ATCL is also supply students with training facilities, equipment and materials.
“The department of Aviation Studies was formed in 2013 to coordinate the establishment of the aviation technology. The department was transformed to School of Aviation Technology in December 2015 and the school was started with two departments, the department of Aeronautical Engineering and Flying and Operation Management,” he said.
He went further saying that department of Aeronautical Engineering has launched two new academic programmes in 2015/16 academic year namely the Bachelors Degree in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering with a total of 38 students been admitted to the bachelors degree program.
“The objectives of the programme are to provide appropriate basic practical skills in aircraft maintenance engineering operations as well as providing basic skills in air craft maintenance engineering workshops,” he said
He insisted: “We also provide fundamental practical skills; understanding of maintenance processes and general principles used including a complete knowledge of all tools and associated maintenance processes that are likely to be used in hangars and workshops so as to maintain air craft to airworthy condition”
The Don went on saying that the philosophy behind the development of aircraft engineering programme is geared towards producing innovative, creative and flexible graduates who will develop the country’s air industry.
“As such, our students are given opportunity to specialize in the fields of their interests in aircraft maintenance engineering specifically the mechanical and avionics sub branches,” he said
He noted: “The philosophy of the programme is based on providing foundations of basic principles, skills and expertise that will give the wider opportunity to graduate carrier development”
For his part, School of Aviation Technology Head of Flying and Operations Department Juma Fimbo said that his department will plan to start its Cabin Crew Training Program and Pilot Training Courses in the 2016/17 academic year.
Fimbo also said that the graduates of the school are expected to work in a variety of areas within the aviation industry including cabin crew, pilots, and flight operations, technical departments such as aircraft cleaners, grand support technicians, aircraft technicians, and technical data officers as well as in commercial department on cargo, sales and reservations.
Meanwhile, School of Aviation Technology’s Head of Aeronautical Engineering Aziz Mdimi named courses offered by their school as basic technician certificate in aircraft maintenance engineering, technician certificate in aircraft maintenance, diploma in air craft maintenance engineering and bachelors’ degree in aircraft maintenance engineering.
“Apart from having long term courses, we also have short courses and we therefore welcome applicants for these courses which is for three-month, these courses are international cargo introductory diploma, dangerous goods, international travel and tourism foundation, international travel and tourism management,” he said
Mdimi added: “We invite applicants to the intensive coaching classes for those intending to sit for the International Air Transport Association and International Freight Forwarders Association professional examinations in air freight and international air transport association professional examinations in travel and tourism”
However, speaking recently in Dar es Salaam shortly after launching Aircraft hangar of the NIT, Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications Permanent Secretary Prof Faustine Kamuzola said that there is higher demand of workers in aviation industry, therefore more efforts is needed to improve the sector.
Prof Kamuzola said that the government will also collaborate with Private sector to ensure that the institute is training pilots and aircraft engineers locally which permanently save costs of training the professionals abroad.
“As the Rector said, training pilot student abroad is more than 100 m/-, and training here at is 10 m/-, therefore there is no way out that supporting this institute so as to make sure that they train many students who wants to undergo pilot and aircraft engineering courses,” he said
He added: “Aircraft industry is improving very fast, therefore we supposed to produce enough workforce that will go hand in hand with the situation, and with this fact, the government will give more support to the national Institute of Transport to produce enough workforce that will be fielded to the sector”
For his part, NIT Rector Eng. Dr Zacharia Mganilwa call the government through the Higher Education Students' Loans Board (HESLB) to boost the tuition fees for pilot and aircraft engineering students whose fees is now at 10m/-.
“The government through Loans Board are giving our students contribution fee around 900,000/- to 1.5m/- which is little than what they are supposed to pay. The training fee is now at `10m/-, I believe the government will solve this issue,” he said
Dr Mganilwa pointed out that the launched aircraft hangar will give good experience training to students who are now undertaking aircraft engineering courses so as to increase the number of experts in a move to cover the big gap that the nation is facing.
He also said that the country is now having very little number of pilots and aircraft engineers, therefore the institute has seen it importance to raise the number of aircraft experts.
“In this academic year we have started a new bachelor’s degree course of aircraft maintenance and engineering and before end of the year we could add another training course for pilots, the aim is to see more aircraft engineers and pilots are fielded in the market,” he said
He added: “In this academic year we have so far enrolled about 38 students who are taking bachelor’s degree in aircraft maintenance and engineering. Many of the Tanzanian pilots and aircraft engineers are almost retiring, that’s why we making it essential to embark on offering training on these courses”.
Eng. Mganilwa went further saying that more that 90 percent of the airplanes operated in Tanzania are currently serviced in Nairobi, Kenya due to few aircraft maintenance engineers that Tanzania is having. We need to ensure that after 5 years the nation is at least solving this problem”
“I thank the Tanzania Police Force, Tanzania People Defense Force and the ATCL for their support to ensure that courses of aircraft engineering and pilot courses are conducted in our institute,” he said
The National Institute of Transport (NIT) was established by the Act of Parliament, No. 24 of 1982. The history of NIT dates back to 1975, when the complexity of the transport sector and the intricacies involved in its management necessitated the introduction of comprehensive training programmes for development of the sectoral manpower.
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