The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Thursday it is working with various aviation schools to boost the aviation sector’s human capital.
“We need to work together at implementing specific programs that will encourage the youth to consider a career in aviation and aerospace,” DOTr Undersecretary Roberto Lim said during the 2024 Aviation Summit.
“The global shortage of aviation personnel is a rare window of opportunity to build a lifelong career in aviation,” he said.
Lim said at least 65 aviation schools are offering 10 fields of specialization in the industry, producing 5,000 graduates annually.
The DOTr is also keen on collaborating with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to strengthen aviation educational programs for national quality certification, which will result in technical instruction capacity, Lim said.
He said the transport agency is encouraging aviation-related educational institutions to form a Philippine Association of Aviation Colleges and Institutions to allow a platform for closer and coordinated policy development.
Lim cited initiatives such as Airbus’ propriety training program Airbus Competence Training Academy, Clark International Airport Corp.’s Clark Civil Aviation Complex—a future site for Asia Pacific Aviation Campus and the Philippine State College of Aeronautics’ (PhilSCA) national aviation campus as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) CATC.
“Practical work programs can match the supply from academe and demand from industry,” Lim said.
