AITC: Aviation Industry Training Centre

Partnership gets Premier's nod

13 March 2009

Kangan Batman TAFE's Aviation Industry Training Centre (AITC) made headlines on Tuesday March 10, when Victorian Premier John Brumby witnessed the signing of a new partnership between Lufthansa Technical Training (LTT) and the Institute at the Avalon Airshow.

Premier Brumby was joined by Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation Jacinta Allan and Minister for Industry and Trade Martin Pakula to witness the signing at the joint AITC/LTT Avalon Airshow stand.

Kangan Batman TAFE CEO Ray Griffiths said the partnership signalled a new era in the delivery and scope of quality aircraft maintenance training in Victoria.

"As the largest aviation training facility in the state, it was a natural progression to partner with leading global training provider Lufthansa Technical Training," he said.

"The cooperative agreement sees the AITC acting as an interface between local aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operations and LTT to deliver training, some of which hasn't previously been available in Australia."

When it was announced in November last year, the partnership formed an important part of the AITC's Skilling for Aviation initiative which also incorporated the purchase of a Boeing 737 as a dedicated training tool and the granting of CASA certification to deliver European-standard aircraft maintenance training.

Since then, the AITC has received enquiries regarding training from local companies such as JetStar, John Holland Aviation Services and Qantas Airways, and from other training providers in Singapore and China.

Ray said there are many benefits to working with LTT, including opportunities for AITC instructors to access the latest training products and methodologies in use across the globe.

"The plan over the next 12 to 18 months is to provide training for AITC staff to use LTT products, giving us the capability to share instructors for specific LTT products, specific AITC products, and jointly-developed products," he said.

"The partnership goes a long way to increasing aviation maintenance training capabilities not only in Victoria, but also in Australia. Previously, some of the specialised courses could only be delivered off-shore, but can now be delivered, end-to-end, in Melbourne.

"Just a few months into the partnership, we've already delivered two courses for LTT at our Melbourne facility for Jetstar and BAE Systems, and for local students wanting to fast-track their way into the aviation industry.

"Kangan Batman TAFE sees this partnership as essential to our growth in the aviation field, ensuring we remain competitive while contributing to the evolution of the aerospace industry in Australia."