Avionics program addresses industry shortages. (Thunder Bay).Confederation College's nationally recognized aviation program will be flying under one roof in the new 59,000-square-foot Aviation Centre of Excellence Confederation College, which opened its doors in 1967, offered both the Aircraft Maintenance and Aviation Flight Management programs at the Thunder Bay International Airport since the late 1960s, however they were located at separate hangars. , to be built at the new aviation industry, subdivision at Thunder Bay International Airport Thunder Bay Airport or Thunder Bay International Airport, (IATA: YQT, ICAO: CYQT), is an airport in the Canadian city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. With 100,154 aircraft movements in 2006 it is the fourth busiest airport in Ontario. . Each year, hundreds of applicants apply for the limited seating availability in Confederation College's three popular aviation programs. The program provides instruction in building, flying and maintaining aircraft. The new facility will allow the program to accommodate 75 additional students and introduce a new avionics technician program; says Rick Potter, the new academic director, school of aviation, at Confederation College Confederation College is a provincially funded community college located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1967, and has area campuses in Dryden, ON, Fort Frances, ON, Geraldton, ON, Kenora, ON, Marathon, ON and Sioux Lookout, ON. . The new program in avionics will serve the growing demand for navigation equipment in aircraft, he explains. "The importance of avionics in an aircraft has probably increased tenfold tenfold Adjective 1. having ten times as many or as much 2. composed of ten parts Adverb by ten times as many or as much Adj. 1. in the last five years," says Potter. "To be a leader in the industry we have to be ready to respond to industry's needs; we have to be able to address the maintenance of those avionics." There is an overall shortage of aircraft maintenance workers in the aviation industry, Potter points out. "The shortage of the industry is such now that there are fears that they will not be able to keep the airplanes that are out there flying, for lack of aircraft maintenance engineers An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) is a person licenced to certify maintenance performed on an aircraft. The Canadian equivalent to an American Aircraft Maintenance Technician, AMEs are licenced by Transport Canada to perform maintenance as per the Canadian Aviation Regulations. ." The college has awarded the $7.9 million construction project to local firm Tom Jones Corp. estimated total cost for the facility and equipment will be around $13 million. The Ontario Superbuild program is providing funding of $3.9 million, and a major fundraising program was initiated to support the college. In addition to the classroom, lab and office space, the project will include two hanger facilities. As well as being good news for the college, the new centre "has the potential to be a tremendous economic engine for the Thunder Bay Thunder Bay, city (1991 pop. 113,946), SW Ont., Canada, on Thunder Bay inlet of Lake Superior. The city was created in 1970 by the amalgamation of the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur and two adjoining townships. airport, by attracting other industries," says Potter. "It's exciting to think what the new Aviation Centre of Excellence facility will do both for the college and the community. The centre will bring jobs and world-class expertise to northwestern Ontario Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. ." Potter says the fact that many new students are the sons and daughters of previous graduates, is "one of the greatest reaffirmations of the aviation program at Confederation College." |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion