Bahrain Airport Services Aircraft Engineering Training Centre (BAETC) held a graduation ceremony for 13 students supported by Tamkeen, who have completed the Airbus A320 "Type" Rating training, following four years of intensive theoretical and practical aircraft engineering training.
The ceremony was attended by Dr. Ahmed A. Hameed Al-Shaikh, Vice President of Tamkeen, Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) CEO Mr Phil Bowell, Mr. Salman Al-Mahmeed Deputy CEO of BAS, Mr. John Skinner Chairman of Serco Kanoo Training Solutions (SKTS), Mr. Maalik Al-Ghanem SKTS General Manager, Mr. Tim Wilkinson from Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO), the aircraft engineering subsidiary of Cathay Pacific Airways and other dignitaries from the Bahrain aviation industry.
The graduates are part of the first group of BAETC students to be supported by Tamkeen, out of a total of 62 Bahraini students enlisted in this programme. Due to the high standards attained at BAETC, many have already been employed by leading international companies including Gulf Air and HAECO as well as BAS's own Engineering & Line Maintenance Department.
Commenting on the significance of this important milestone, Dr. Ahmed A. Hameed Al-Shaikh said "Tamkeen is especially proud of our cooperation with BAETC because it connects to the findings of our Skills Gaps survey and is a tangible example of how Tamkeen has translated these findings into real empowerment and training action on the ground."
Tamkeen's role is not only limited to providing funding, but also extends to on-going counseling and monitoring of students progress, working closely with BAETC, throughout the 4 year study programme.
Realising the need to boost the number of aircraft engineers to meet Bahrain Aviation industries future growth, Tamkeen has provided numerous sponsorship opportunities for students aspiring to specialise in this field.
Expressing his deep gratitude, BAS Deputy CEO, Salman Al Mahmeed, stated "BAS is extremely proud of the partnership with Tamkeen, which enabled many young Bahraini men & women, to enroll in this highly professional and sought after field of Aircraft Engineering. We look forward to continuing our fruitful cooperation with Tamkeen to train more and more students to meet the aviation industries growing demand for qualified engineers, both locally and across the region. Furthermore, such initiatives & collaboration play an important role in enhancing Bahrain's reputation as a centre for academic & training excellence in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030."
BAETC appointed SKTS after an in-depth analysis report that proposed ITC developments and recommended upgrade s for training aides, facilities, libraries, etc. With the introduction of SKTS in 2010, as Interim Management, BAETC has improved its classroom facilities, upgraded teaching aid & methodology, and made substantial investments in staff continuous professional development. Students are selected following a rigorous entry examination and selection criteria which ensures that students have the required aptitude and capabilities to succeed in this type of vocational training.
Mr. George Martin, SKTS Training Manager in BAS Aviation Engineering Training Centre, expressed his pride and pleasure with the class of graduates. The partnership with SKTS has allowed BAETC to eventually offer a full and diverse range of aviation courses. He said, "We would like to thank Tamkeen for their support of such an important programme that contributes to closing the skills gap required in this field. I have trained a large number of students in the region and I can say the Bahraini students enjoy high professionalism and commitment, of which we are very proud".
Mr. Martin also pointed out the critical role played by BAS Aviation Engineering and Training Centre in supporting this programme, whether by providing the equipment and devices or developing the theoretical content to train a highly qualified class of aviation engineers. He also indicated the Centre's endeavor to train some Bahraini's to become future trainers".
Graduates of this programme expressed their happiness with their graduation and their dreams that have come true. Graduate Mohammad AbdulWahab said "Aviation engineering is my dream. I was thinking of studying abroad as soon as I graduated from secondary school but, I applied for this program in Bahrain, for which Tamkeen paid all expenses. Today, I feel that I have accomplished a major success. Tamkeen has supported me over the years since graduating from high school and till this moment. I currently feel that I'm up to the challenge".
Amina BuAllay was distinguished among the 13 graduates, being the only girl and a graduate that has been hired by the aviation engineering company HAECO. She also witnessed her dream come true. Amina says "I had no plans to study this major but I liked it once I heard about it. So, once I graduated from secondary school, I applied for the programme, I was selected as per Tamkeen's criteria". Amina was hired as a trainee in HAECO, which maintains the planes of a number of international airlines in Bahrain, due to her academic excellence. This was the starting point of her practical training completed by obtaining the international license. She says "I don't feel that this line of business contradicts with my gender. Despite being the only girl among 12 boys in my class, I had the full support and encouragement of my trainers. With the necessary training, girls can definitely handle this job".
Tim Wilkinson, director of HAECO Bahrain, commented "Amina has the potential and performs her duties like any other aviation engineer. She works for long hours in various weather conditions like others; she is treated on an equal basis and performs her duties as expected".
To certify an aircraft to fly requires that the individual completes an in-depth training course designed and approved by an internationally recognised accreditation organisation. As there are many different types of aircraft flown by commercial airlines, and as such an engineer must undertake an approved aircraft "Type" course, over and above the four years aircraft engineering programme. This ensures that the engineer is fully conversant with the multiple systems on board that aircraft type.
-Ends-
About Tamkeen:
Tamkeen is a semi-autonomous yet independent authority which formulates strategic and operational plans to enhance the overall prosperity of Bahrain by investing in Bahraini employability, job creation and social support. Tamkeen is funded by the fees collected by the LMRA. Tamkeen's main objectives are to support Bahrainis to become the employees of choice, and to support high quality private sector job creation
To achieve these objectives, Tamkeen will invest in the cost and quality competitiveness of Bahrainis (e.g., reduction of cost of employing Bahrainis relative to expatriates, investment in skill and work ethic development programs of Bahrainis); in tackling employment barriers on both employer and labour market entrants' sides through a combination of financial incentives and capability building, and in supporting the private sector's adjustment to new cost structures by providing access to capital to alleviate short term cash constraints or improve productivity, and in know-how initiatives that support improvements in productivity and decreased reliance on expatriate labour through spreading management and technical knowledge. Tamkeen has invested more than BD 140 million in more than 70 projects targeting 45,000 Bahrainis and 8,000 enterprises. Programmes are continuously being devised as per Tamkeen's strategy and the numbers of beneficiaries are continuously increasing.
For more information on our programmes and initiatives, please contact:
Marketing Communications
Tamkeen
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: 17383326/17383327
Fax: 17382352
Email: info@tamkeen.bh
Website : www.tamkeen.bh
http://www.facebook.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://twitter.com/TamkeenBahrain
http://www.youtube.com/TamkeenBahrain
About Bahrain Airport Services (BAS)
BAS is a private sector company, established in 1977, to provide full Ground Handling, Cargo, Catering, and Engineering Services to all Commercial Airlines, Charter Flights, Royal & Private Jets, Courier & Cargo freighters operating from/to or transiting through Bahrain International Airport. BAS provide an extensive range of customer-driven and logistics support services, serving more than 45 passenger & cargo airlines and 200 freight forwarders. In 2009 BAS handled 9 million passengers, 10 million pieces of baggage, 280,000 tons of cargo, 90,000 aircraft movements and 18,000 aircraft inspections, supported by nearly 600 pieces of GSE equipment. BAS in-flight catering division produced more than 7.5 million airline meals. BAS currently proudly handles the Kingdom National carrier Gulf Air as well as all national and regional carriers including Bahrain Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Eithad, Saudia, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air, in addition to some of the world's leading international carriers including, United Airlines, BA, KLM, Lufthansa, Air France, Condor, Cathay Pacific, to name a few.
With over 30 years experience, BAS is an established, experienced, stable and mature business with more than 3,500 multi-national staff, many of whom have been with the company since its inception. More recently, BAS expanded internationally and supported the establishment of an affiliate entity to provide full ground handling services at Kuwait International Airport.
BAS also operates a fully fledged Aircraft Engineering Training Centre (www.baetc.org) with training programs combining both practical and theoretical aspects. It is designed to offer more personalized training and instruction by maintaining a maximum of 25 students per class. Total students in 2009 were more than 300 from Bahrain and across the GCC. BAETC is recognized by the most prestigious accreditation institution in the world, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and has already received the EASA 147.0002 certificate, a distinction which is shared only with a handful of other centers outside Europe.
For further information, please contact;
Sadek Ebrahim
Marketing & Business Development
Bahrain Airport Services (BAS)
BAS House, Muharraq, Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel +973 - 1732 1703
Email: Sadek.Ebrahim@bas.com.bh
© Press Release 2011
