Paramount Group, Africa’s largest privately owned defence and aerospace company, has launched an internationally recognised aviation technician course to train the next generation of African aircraft technicians, as the demand for these professionals is sharply on the increase across Africa and around the world.

The new course, which will start to accept students from January 2018, will be announced at the Polokwane Air Show held at Polokwane International Airport. Paramount Group is a key occupant at the Airport where its pilot and technician training academy is operated by Paramount Group’s aerospace division, Paramount Aerospace Systems.

He added: “Investing in the development of aviation human capacity is a key. There is a gap between the number of professionals sought and the training capacity in Africa. It is here where we can help to inject new skills and capacity to serve the continent’s growing aviation sector.”

A recent market forecast by Airbus indicates that Africa would need 1,000 commercial jets and 21,700 new pilots in the coming 20 years, while Boeing estimates that Africa would demand 18,000 new pilots and 22,000 technicians over the same period.

Training for the future

The three-year course offered by Paramount Group covers theory and practical training across two trades, namely Mechanical Technician and Avionics Technician.

The mechanical training will be conducted on all aspects of the aircraft covering the airframe, hydraulics, piston engines, turbine engines, under carriage, pneumatic systems and fuel systems.

The Avionics training course will cover all aspects of the aircraft avionics trade, including aircraft instruments, electrical systems, radios and navigation systems.

Greyling added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to gain an internationally recognised qualification to become an aircraft technician. We have developed a very unique programme which includes a combination of both theory and practical on the job training where the student works under supervision.”