Pretoria-Based Students Participate In And Complete Three Year Accreditation Programme
Paramount Aerospace Systems (PAS), subsidiary to Paramount Group, the global aerospace and technology company, is pleased to announce that fifteen students have joined the company’s world-class Technical Training Academy to become the next generation’s leading aircraft technicians and engineers.
This announcement arrives on the heels of a grant provided by South Africa’s Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) in 2019, which enabled seven students in early 2022 to complete the three-year course offered by Paramount Aerospace Systems (PAS), and to today proudly qualify as aircraft technicians.
Paramount Aerospace Systems (PAS) operates a fully accredited Technical Training Academy at Wonderboom National Airport, located adjacent to the state-of-the-art aircraft production facilities where the Mwari reconnaissance and light attack aircraft is manufactured. The ‘PAS’ Technical Training Academy was established to serve the training needs of young Africans from across the continent, those who aspire to reach careers such as aircraft technician or aircraft maintenance engineer.
“We are absolutely delighted that, with the support of the training grant offered by the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA), students will be able to participate in our comprehensive programme, one that is presented by industry veterans with decades of combined experience,” stated Brian Greyling, CEO of Paramount Aerospace Systems. “With our comprehensive training solutions that cover all of the technical aspects of aviation, we are addressing the dire shortage of technical skills in the local aerospace sector and further, unlocking pathways for our students to embark on prosperous lifelong careers in both the local and international aviation industry”.
The PAS Technical Training Academy, which was previously based at Polokwane, was relocated to Wonderboom just north of Pretoria, near to South Africa’s economic heartland, to ensure that more students would be able to access the practical educational programme and do so at a reasonable cost.
“With huge growth projected for the local aviation sector, and across the African continent, the increased demand for qualified aircraft technicians is going to soon outweigh the very limited pool of available resources within the country to-date,” added Greyling. “Our Training Academy hosts a sterling track record of producing results, where workshop practice follows directly on from classroom theory, and with the aid of training devices and actual aircraft, effective knowledge uptake is assured.”
The PAS Training Academy, which can accommodate two intakes per year in January and July, has plans to expand rapidly over the next decade to address the urgent requirement for more certified technicians.
The calibre of students that qualified in 2022 was of such a high order that three of the graduates were offered immediate starting positions at Paramount Aerospace Industries, and another graduate was retained by Paramount Aerospace Systems. Three remaining graduates are presently being assisted in finding and securing their first positions by instructors at the Training Academy, alongside private aircraft maintenance organisations [AMOs].
“For aircraft to operate safely and efficiently, it is imperative that properly qualified aircraft technicians are available to perform the required maintenance actions and in addition, support actual flight operations. Our Technical Training Academy provides high quality technical training, offering a regular curriculum of exams that lead up to trade test preparation, and then actual trade testing, all from within a single facility, which we believe is an immense achievement,” Greyling concluded.