As part of the efforts to grow manpower for the aviation industry in Nigeria, sixty secondary school students from Lagos and Ogun States recently benefitted from a three day Aviation educational Career Academy (ACE) camp organised by the National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NBCFAE) in Nigeria and United States of America.
During the camp, the students between 11-17 years of age were taught by aviation professionals such as, air traffic controllers, operations staff, aviation security, aeronautical engineers, fire and rescue among others on Aviation related topics.
They were also given task to perform to emphasize the importance of team work.
President NBCFAE Nigeria, Mr. Amos Edino said, the programme is to educate the students and encourage them to take up career in aviation, stressing that, there is no better time than now to do so when they are still in the secondary schools.
According to him, many students are interested in aviation but they do not know where to go to get the requisite enlightenment and the area they would want to specialise.
He stated that, the programme, ninth in the series was organised to address that need, stressing that, investing in their future is key and in line with the theme for this year: The Future is Now.
“A lot of kids when they grow up don’t have exposure about what they want to do, catching them young is quite an interesting thing to do so that these kids as they are growing up, would have a focus and they would have an idea of what they want to do in the future.
“We are investing in their future not giving them cash but giving them, knowledge, information and contacts and if you have those, you go places”.
The National Vice President, NBCFAE, U.S Ejide Fashina said, this second year post COVID camp was wonderful and a huge success.
According to her, this is the ninth year of the NBCFAE ACE camp in Nigeria and looking forward to the tenth year for a bigger camp.
Another member of the US NBCFAE branch, Bridget Turner, noted that, the camp has helped to expose the students to careers and opportunities in the aviation community, teaching them about aviation safety, technology, aircraft, airspace system, among others.
“The ACE camp is to Empower 60 Nigerian students to pursue careers in aviation,” Turner said.
The Airport Manager, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Mrs. Victoria Shinaba while declaring the ACE Camp closed, described the students as future aviators with the knowledge they have been given.
Mrs. Shinaba who was represented by Mr. Gbolahan Ayenla stated that, there are lots of opportunities to be filled by the younger ones as many are retiring from the system after 35 years of service especially from the agencies.
During the three day programme, professionals in aviation industry such as aeronautical engineers, aviation security, operational staff, air traffic controllers etc came to talk to the students in their respective fields.
They were also tutored on the essence of team work and were put through different activities ranging from drawing, building things, balloon bursting among others and given task to perform.
Highlights of the end of the day 3-day educational programme was a tour with the students to the airside of the airport, the TRACON and radar sites, control tower, the hangars to have practical knowledge of what they have been taught in the camp.
There were presentation of certificates of participation and gifts to the students.
