By Sade Williams
Stakeholders in the aviation industry have called for a collaborative effort at addressing the challenges faced by aspiring professionals and those of anticipated shortage of skilled professionals.
This call was made at the recently held 7th Explore Aviation Careers Conference organized by Mamaj Consult at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority annex in Lagos.
The theme for this year was centered around “The Challenges of Exploring Careers in Aviation and the Travel Industry,” and it was quite an enlightening session with prominent stakeholders and dignitaries in the aviation and travel industry in attendance.
The insightful discussions and diverse perspectives shared during the conference shed light on the multifaceted challenges within the aviation and travel industry.
During her opening remark, the convener Joy Ogbebo, acknowledged the challenges the aspiring young professionals are facing and emphasized the need to identify and address them in order to promote the growth of the industry as this aligns with the Minister of Aviation and aerospace development’s agenda for human capacity development.
The Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ((NCAA) who was represented by Sylvia Pero, the Deputy General Manager, Consumer protection, acknowledged there are challenges and referred to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently held 5-day event, geared towards addressing the challenges posed by the anticipated shortage of aviation professionals and proposed actions to be taken to solve the challenges.
According to the DGCAA, ‘each career has its challenges, however, addressing these challenges enumerated requires collective efforts from the government and other stakeholders.”
He further noted that, despite the challenges, the future aviation job prospect is positive and the sector is going to grow significantly with the government taking steps to improve infrastructure.
He emphasized that the industry provides enormous opportunities and advised that to enhance career prospects in the industry, it was important for them to develop the right skills, certifications and work experience and also stay updated about the industry by attending events such as this, in order to take advantage of the career opportunities.
Speaking at the occasion, the managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA), who was represented by the Director of Operations, Mathew Pwajok, commended the convener for this laudable initiative.
He said he never had the opportunity to access such a platform during his days.
He also used the opportunity to extensively highlight the functions and the many career opportunities in the Nigerian Airspace management agency and the processes to get certified.
Also speaking, Chief Operating Officer, Wakanow Travels, Adenike Macaulay who was represented by Shola Ipinmoroti, Vice President commercial, acknowledged that because the aviation industry is such a large one, there will always be challenges.
She emphasized that the industry is a highly regulated one and requires certifications. She stated that comparing the statistics of the population against the number of travellers, one of the challenges she highlighted was the economic challenges which impacts on job opportunities.
She also emphasized the necessity to be passionate and innovative in the quest for good careers in aviation.
While commending the organizers of the event, she encouraged the young ones to embrace the privilege of this career initiative platform.
The president of Afarn, Kingsley Nwokoma, announced that the cargo sector is enormous with many career opportunities, highlighting the opportunities therein.
Seasoned Pilot, Capt. Capt. Horace Millar-Jaja and Dr.John Akwaji , CEO of Javi Aviation were there to also inspire the participants
The panelists’ session, well moderated by Dozie Uzoezie, the CEO, Afritraveller and Founder, Africa Aviation Group, had professionals in the industry: Capt. Oluwole Fajobi, Capt. Ladi Bajeh, Shadrack Swante and Akintayo Gabriel, an aspiring pilot, provided a platform for meaningful dialogue and insight toward identifying the challenges and proffering realistic solutions fostering growth in aviation careers.
