Dragonair has hosted a graduation ceremony for this year's 24 graduates of its Aviation Certificate Programme that is a major initiative of the airline's Youth Aviation Academy.
The programme aims to motivate and inspire Hong Kong citizens aged 18 to 25 who aspire to have a career in aviation. The nine-month educational journey is jointly organised by Dragonair and the Hong Kong Air Cadet Corps.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Director General of Civil Aviation Norman Lo said, "In anticipation of the increase in demand on aviation services, we need highly motivated young people to join the industry in order to ensure sustainable development."
Dragonair chief executive officer Patrick Yeung said, "We are pleased to know that more than 40 per cent of the programme's graduates have embarked on careers in aviation as pilots, engineers, ATC controllers and ground handling operators. 2011 has been a remarkable year for the programme with 75 per cent of participants joining the industry."
Since the programme's launch in 2005, the number of applications, graduates, mentors and supporting organisations has grown yearly. The programme started accepting public applicants two years ago and the intake will further expand to 30 for the 2013 programme. |
