AKEF and Ethiopian Aviation University to Offer for Affordable Training and Apprenticeships to Kenyan Students
An agreement was signed between the Association of Kenya-Ethiopia Friends (AKEF), the Ethiopian Aviation University, and the Ethiopian Airlines regarding affordable training and apprenticeship for aviation students.
The accord will cover areas such as subsidized training, apprenticeships, and connections between Kenyan students and the Ethiopian Aviation University and the airline.
Joe Aketch, chairman of AKEF, an organization founded by former mayors, stated that the partnership will make costly aviation courses more accessible.
Speaking to aviation students at Mangu High School, Aketch, a former mayor of Nairobi, stated that Kenyan students pursuing aviation courses will be encouraged to attend the Ethiopian Aviation University.
“Through the partnership, Kenyan students wishing to study at the Ethiopian Aviation University will get a special package at lower rates, adding that the University of Ethiopia was the best in East and central Africa.
He urged aviation stakeholders to ensure that the next generation on the African continent actively participates in this aviation transformation development agenda, which will provide opportunities for new growth strategies in a sector that has been dormant for decades.
AKEF Treasurer John Mutahi, a former mayor of Thika, stated that through the apprenticeship partnership, aviation students will gain market exposure.
Mutahi disclosed that they are in the process of networking with other former mayors around the world in the areas of partnerships and linkages in order to advance the sector.
“Students will get industry exposure through internships, industrial training, and value added courses through the new technology, guest lecturers and workshops conducted by the aerospace industry experts,” he said.
Peter Thairu, the Deputy Principal of Mangu High School, regretted the fact that most students abandon aviation in Form Two due to prohibitive fees.
According to Thairu, aviation education faces numerous obstacles, such as lack of modern equipment and apparatus that correspond to the new airspace technology skills.
He stated that the partnership would provide students with hands-on training, making them more employable, and would also expand the aerospace and aviation industries.
Dickens Magak, KNEC examiner with the Kenya Aviation Authority, urged students to take advantage of the collaboration and urged the government to identify a few aviation institutions that need to be strengthened.
According to Magak, the dearth of infrastructure, apparatus, and a well-equipped workshop contributes to low enrollment in the majority of schools.
AKEF and Ethiopian Aviation University to Offer for Affordable Training and Apprenticeships to Kenyan Students
