THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) said it is studying ways to build up the pipeline of aviation-industry workers due to strong global demand.
Transport Undersecretary Roberto C.O. Lim told reporters on the sidelines of a forum on Friday that the talent shortage is global across multiple aviation trades, including “pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, radio specialists, maintenance workers, and ground handling equipment operators.”
He said the shortage is also being felt in the Philippines, where aviation personnel are being offered overseas jobs.
“We should develop our human capital by producing more and also by improving their quality,” he added.
He cited the need for government and established private colleges to produce more talent and modernize the curriculum.
“The curriculum needs to be modernized so that it is responsive to the needs of the industry,” he said.
“And we have engaged the industry to organize ourselves and identify a roadmap of how to fill those gaps,” he added.
He said the training colleges will be able to cover what employers usually teach graduates when they come on board, making the transition to the workforce “more efficient.”
He said that the department is still organizing industry representatives ahead of the release of a roadmap.
“But at least the stakeholders know that the government is there; it recognizes the problem, trying to understand and identify solutions, and trying to be an enabler because the colleges themselves have to do the actual change in the curriculum,” he said.
“So we are still building the roadmap and making sure that we have the Filipino youth that will find it attractive to go into this sector,” he added.
He noted the need for another 250 air traffic controllers.
“We need to fill in that gap because the training of air traffic controllers is long because they need to have the experience,” he added.
He said that the government is also studying an initiative that will help bring back Filipino aviation personnel working overseas, including retirees, who could participate in mentorship programs “to share their valuable knowledge,” he added.
He said the DoTr and Clark International Airport Corp. are studying the creation of an aviation campus and could invite overseas aviation colleges to conduct remote training in the Philippines. — Justine Irish D. Tabile