A new educational agreement will see a little more wind beneath the wings of pilots looking to serve northern communities.
Providence University College announced it will see the education and training of Inuit pilots at its Otterburne campus in partnership with Canadian North Airlines.
Canadian North, an Inuit-owned airline, will then give conditional offers of employment to graduates of the program who complete their studies.
Kent Anderson, president of Providence, said the partnership will address airline shortages seen in recent years.
“When you and I hear about pilot shortages, we think well, that might affect my vacation plans for Mexico,” Anderson told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show.
“But when you’re living in one of these communities in the Arctic, for example, this is your lifeline.”
Northern communities only accessible by air can experience delays in food shipments, justice proceedings and essential travel, Anderson said.
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“It’s pretty fundamental stuff.”
According to the Canadian Council for Aviation & Aerospace, the number of commercial pilot licences issued in Canada has declined by more than 80 per cent since 2019.
Providence currently offers a bachelor of arts in aviation in which students complete academic courses and flight camp before going up in the air with Steinbach-based airline Harv’s Air.
The four-year degree’s expansion will see more than 200 pilots trained by 2026, covering five per cent of the current shortage of commercial pilots across the country.
The program will also teach students practical skills like money management and how to work in leadership roles.
“We’re going to see graduates that can not only meet this very practical need, but have (a) comprehensive skill set to handle all kinds of things,” Anderson said.
The expanded course will welcome its first students in September.
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