Careers take off for SriLankan Aviation College graduates with industry boom

Monday, 31 July 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Recent local graduates of the EASA PART 66 Basic Course in Aircraft Maintenance at SriLankan Aviation College have found employment with SriLankan Airlines as Aircraft Technicians following a competitive recruitment and selection process and are now on track to a coveted career in aircraft maintenance engineering.

SriLankan Aviation College, the training arm of SriLankan Airlines, reintroduced the highly sought-after program to the Sri Lankan market after a four-year break, giving local students a head start into the lucrative global aircraft maintenance industry, which is projected to employ over an additional 600,000 technicians in the next two decades.

The EASA PART 66 Basic Course in Aircraft Maintenance is accredited by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the Civil Aviation Authorities of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Pakistan. Students following the course could opt to study in both Mechanical (B1.1) and Avionics (B2) streams. The Mechanical stream is predominantly associated with the mechanical aspects of an aircraft such as its structure and related systems. The Avionics stream is associated with electrical; indicating; recording; autopilot; and navigation and communication systems of the aircraft as well as electronics used within other aircraft systems.

The course comprises 2,400 hours of learning, which includes 1,200 hours of theory sessions and 1,200 hours of practical sessions carried out on SriLankan Airlines’ Airbus A330 and A320 aircraft, providing students with an unparalleled opportunity to learn in a live aircraft maintenance setting. Students will qualify for employment in the aircraft maintenance and engineering field upon completing the program.

SriLankan Aviation College is among the handful of EASA approved training institutes in the region. By reinitiating this course in Sri Lanka, the College hopes to provide local talent a chance to take advantage of the projected global career wave in airline maintenance and help the industry meet its demand for skilled aircraft technicians at the same time.

In addition to local students, SriLankan Aviation College draws an international student body to its Katunayake-based college facility. Over 100 foreign students are currently enrolled with the college for the EASA PART 66 Basic Course in Aircraft Maintenance including from the Maldives, Pakistan, India, Oman, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tanzania.

With over 34 years of experience in aviation training, SriLankan Aviation College extends comprehensive training options to both students and working professionals. The college collaborates with world-renowned institutions such as Kingston University London, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Sir John Kotelawala University as well as aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing Group. The college is also a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the European Aviation Maintenance Training Committee (EAMTC).