Aviation careers taking off with help from University College of the Cayman Islands program

With airport redevelopment on the horizon and the emergence of two new airline carriers to Cayman in coming months, the aviation industry needs qualified people just to keep up. That according to aviation expert Edward Jerrard.

“One of the biggest problems we were facing in the future was the lack of personnel coming into the aviation industry,” pointed out Mr. Jerrard.

UCCI’s air transport management program – now in it’s 4th year – is partnering with upstart carrier Blue Sky airlines to help meet the demand for skilled aviation workers.

Mr. Jerrard is a lecturer in UCCI’s Aviation Management Program as well as a consultant for Blue Sky Airlines.

“We provide a complete global picture of the entire business, not just the pilot side of it, the regulatory side of it, the economics of it, how airports work, how airlines work, why some fail, why some make loads of money,” said Mr. Jerrard.

“The more the aviation industry expands here in Cayman, the more they are going to need educated Caymanians who will be able to fulfill the roles that are going to be available,” said  UCCI’s Dr.

JD Mosley-Matchett, “You have managerial positions, you have the management of the flights themselves, you have all of the things that are part of the service industry that we often don’t think about.”

The 10 to 12 week course gives students a broad overview of the industry, one Mr. Jarrard argues is vital to a modern economy.

“Aviation is a really really big global industry, and without it, society, industry collapses,” said Mr. Jerrard.

Mr. Jerrard says having a home-grown workforce is essential to the future of Cayman’s aviation industry.

“The last thing any company wants to do is import people. We have to find local people and the best way to find these people for Blue Sky is to at least get them into the air transport management program so those people applying for jobs have a fundamental understanding of what the business is all about,” said Mr. Jerrard.

The course runs twice a week starting 7 May and costs a thousand dollars.

For more information on the program, contact Diane Campbell, UCCI’s deputy director of Executive training program at (345) 623-0546.

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