Airbus collaborates in launching training program for Saudis in helicopter maintenance
RIYADH — Airbus joined hands with the Colleges of Excellence Company in launching a unique training program aimed at qualifying young Saudis in the field of helicopter maintenance. The ceremony of launching the Helicopters Maintenance Joint Training Program with Airbus was held on Tuesday under the patronage of Minister of Education Yousef Al-Benyan and in the presence of Minister of Transport and Logistics Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser.
The training program was launched in the presence of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, Assistant Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Dr. Abdullah Al-Ahmari, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Colleges of Excellence Eng. Iyad Al-Qarawi, at the International Aviation Technical College in Riyadh. Eng. Ayman Al-Abdullah, CEO of Colleges of Excellence, Arnaud Montalvo, vice president of Airbus Helicopters for the Middle East and Africa, and Eng. Eid Al-Qahtani, head of Airbus's Regional Headquarters in the Kingdom, were also among the attendees.
The program leverages the technical expertise of both Airbus and Colleges of Excellence in providing high-quality training content that enables trainees to acquire advanced skills in helicopter maintenance, in line with the sector's local and regional requirements.
Eng. Naif Al-Matrafi, head of Marketing and Business Development at Colleges of Excellence, said that training in this program is scheduled to begin at the start of the next training year, and that participants will receive a higher diploma in helicopter maintenance.
"The program aims to achieve a 100 percent employment rate for those enrolled in the program to work in military and civilian agencies," he said while noting that the launch of this program falls within the framework of Colleges of Excellence's approach to building strategic partnerships with major international companies in the aviation sector.
With the aim of transferring knowledge and empowering national cadres with advanced technical skills, the program's launch was an extension of an effective strategic partnership between the two parties.
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