Samir El Jamal, a recent Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Technology grad at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, was hired by Lufthansa Technik Canada after completing his program. For future students like El Jamal, the pipeline from his alma mater to his current employer will be streamlined, something El Jamal is admittedly jealous of.
With its first intake this spring, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT) new Gas Turbine Technician Certificate will help train the next generation of aviation mechanics and potentially guarantee them job placement.
The certificate will include support from Lufthansa Technik Canada’s (LTCA) Fuel the Future initiative and will prepare graduates with the technical skills and regulatory awareness needed to meet increasing demand for gas turbine expertise, according to a SAIT-issued press release.
SAIT will be Alberta’s first post-secondary school to offer a program of this kind and will be “uniquely positioned to meet the needs of a growing aviation sector across Calgary,” the release reads.
At least 10 students from every 32 student cohort will be offered a sponsorship opportunity, through the Fuel the Future initiative. LTCA will provide chosen students with financial support to cover tuition costs and tools, a salary during their studies and guaranteed job placement with LTCA following completion of the program.
“It’s a great opportunity for them,” El Jamal said of the sponsorship.
“The program that SAIT has set up for them, as well as the help that (LTCA) is going to be providing to students, is going to create opportunities for everybody.”
Max Schramm, President and CEO of LTCA, said that the inspiration for the initiative came from diversity and equity.
“We noticed when we went through the school that there was one demographic that was missing, which was lower income classes, visible minorities quite often. We asked, ‘why is that?’ and the answer was the cost, or the perceived cost, of such programs, are becoming such an entry barrier for students that they don’t feel comfortable applying for these positions,” he said.
“We as an industry have an obligation to the community to make this industry more accessible and to allow people from lower income classes, all walks of life and visible minorities, to have a chance at actually becoming a mechanic without having to worry.”
Schramm said that sponsorship recipients will apply directly through LTCA’s website, and go through a thorough selection process.
“We’ll be putting these positions out at the beginning of October,” he said.
Above the minimum 10 recipients in each cohort, Schramm said that if more applicants show high-level talent, the company will sponsor accordingly.
LTCA partnership stacking on existing momentum
Schramm said that LTCA’s investment is complementary to other recent aviation-based provincial projects.
“WestJet, obviously, is at the center of the growth that you’ve seen in Alberta. Last week’s announcement, which was absolutely phenomenal with CAE to create a training centre here in Alberta, is just another testament of the willingness of the sector to grow here in Calgary and in Alberta,” he said.
Dr. David Ross, President and CEO of SAIT, said that the LTCA partnership adds to the recent opening of the Imperial Energy Innovation Centre on modernising programs and integrating students with industry.
“We’ve been very lucky, the partnerships that we’ve been able to build over the recent times, I think are outstanding,” he said.
“We’re seeing international companies from around the world understand us, come to us and they realize the quality of the graduates, in terms of that hands-on experience, we want our graduates to be ready day one, not have to go to an organization and be retrained redeveloped, but they’re ready to start their career and add value to those organizations, and this program will be part of that.”
