Airways' Stringent Standards Attract Saudi Students

ATC TRAINING

A group of 28 Saudi Arabian students are undertaking Airways’ air traffic controller programme in New Zealand. The students, from Saudi Arabia's civil air service provider General Authority of Civil Aviation of Saudi Arabia (GACA) and Saudi Arabia National Guard, will study English for their first year in New Zealand, and then commence air traffic control training with Airways in the following year. This will be the third group of Saudi Arabian air traffic control students that Airways has trained.

Airways' head of Training Sharon Cooke said that Airways has enhanced the English Language requirements of the training programme to assist the students further in their training. The students will spend an intensive year with either Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Nelson or Kaplan International College in Auckland studying English, before attending Airways' Palmerston North campus for 12 months of air traffic control training.

Airways used social media to create a learning community with the students before they arrived in New Zealand, with a dedicated Facebook page supporting them on anything from questions about their studies to their homestay environment and the culture in New Zealand.