Flying institutes taking students for a ride

Flying institutes taking students for a ride

Arjun Raghunath Express News ServiceFirst Published : 21 Jun 2010 03:28:22 AM ISTLast Updated : 21 Jun 2010 04:46:42 PM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as thousands of students across the country are wandering for jobs in the aviation sector, aviation training institutes that have mushroomed in the State over the past few years keep on luring candidates by making bogus claims of job prospects.
Following a slump in the aviation industry, almost all the airline companies in the country have imposed a blanket ban on fresh recruitments over the past few years. Many airlines are even resorting to down sizing.
As a result, thousands of students who had completed courses such as Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME), Commercial Pilot License (CPL) and Cabin Crew management during the past few years are struggling to get a placement. The fee for these course range from Rs one lakh to Rs 20 lakh.
As per the rough estimates, around 10,000 students are completing the AME course alone from the 70 Director General of Civil Aviation approved institutes across the country, including four in the State, every year.
Only a mere one percent of these candidates could find a placement.
So is the case with the CPL and Cabin Crew courses.
Even for undergoing the mandatory training programme for these courses, the candidates are forced to pay huge amounts to private airline companies, highly placed sources in the aviation sector point out.
Since these courses are airline- specific and are neither a diploma nor a degree, those who complete the courses are also not able to find a job in any other sectors. “The job scarcity in the sector was evident when a Mumbaibased private helicopter company received as many as 40,000 applications against 40 vacancies,” said the source.