Human resource potential for a sovereign aviation enterprise in the South Pacific

Abstract

Aviation offers considerable potential to contribute to the South Pacific's long-term sustainable development. Air transportation links enhance local communities' and businesses' ability to access foreign supplies and markets, as well as provide invaluable opportunities for cultural and social exchange. They also improve emergency and humanitarian response capabilities during crises and public health emergencies. A safe and sustainable aviation industry, on the other hand, requires the use of technologically complex systems with a narrow margin for error, and which requires maintenance and operation by properly educated and qualified personnel. Sufficient human capital with specialised skills and education is required to operate a sovereign sustainable aviation sector. At the core of any aviation enterprise is a cadre of aviation technical professionals, which includes pilots, aviation maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers, and flight dispatchers. The current project seeks: (1) to validate the minimum educational attainment level for entry to aviation technical professional training as appropriate to the South Pacific context; (2) to identify subjects that are of importance as perquisites to such training; (3) to compare the coverage of South Pacific national curricula for these subjects against a baseline developed country with a mature aviation industry; and (4) to estimate the latent appropriately educated human resource potential for South Pacific sovereign aviation enterprise development.

Keywords

• Aviation
• Education
• South Pacific
• Commercial Pilot
• Aircraft maintenance engineer
• Air Traffic Controller