Aviation training being taken to new heights

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is moving ahead with plans to turn the Civil Aviation Training School at Timehri into a significant income earner.
It will now cater not only to Guyanese, but also to regional neighbours and other aviation personnel seeking International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard training.
Last December, the school was accredited by the TRAINAIR Plus Programme (TPP), the training arm of ICAO, making the institution globally recognised and authorised to offer courses under the ICAO banner.
The principal of the aviation institute, Clifford Van Doimen, told Ignite News today that since becoming ICAO-accredited, the school is now able to offer approximately 500 standardised courses covering various areas within the industry, including management, safety, and search and rescue, among others.
These course packages are purchased from ICAO, and one of the major benefits will be the ability to commercialise the packages to local and foreign students, Van Doimen explained.
This means that local aviation personnel can now access the necessary training in-house, saving thousands of US dollars that would have been spent travelling to countries such as the US, Central America, or Singapore.
Apart from travel, Guyanese would also need to account for accommodation and training fees, which require significant contributions. However, the local aviation school is working tirelessly to ensure that Guyanese are not burdened by the cost of becoming ICAO certified.
“So, as we proceed, we will offer the price recommended by ICAO, but we are looking at possibly subsidising that price for Guyanese, so in that regard, we will now be able to provide all Guyanese across the aviation sector access to standardised training at more affordable costs.”
Having ICAO recognition essentially places Guyana on the world map, the principal continued. Such accreditation also places the country in ICAO’s library, allowing people worldwide to access Guyana’s school.
In the region, Caribbean and Latin American neighbours will be able to access the service, particularly where Guyana offers specific courses that may not be readily available elsewhere.
Van Doimen explained that while Guyana is not the only Caribbean country with an ICAO-recognised facility, many of those countries offer their own local aviation courses and not those purchased from ICAO.
Since Guyana offers ICAO-standard courses, this gives the country a chance to enter the aviation market confidently, Van Doimen stated, as individuals generally seek programmes offering international accreditation, which allows them to work anywhere in the world.
Principal Van Doimen is adamant that the advances being made at the aviation school could not have been achieved without the dedication and support of the GCAA management and the Government of Guyana.
“I mean, when you have the support of management and the government, that’s like 60 per cent of the work right there, because anything you need, you’ll get it,” he said.