Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 23/99) - The North's aviation industry won't have to go searching for qualified Northern aircraft maintenance engineers in the near future -- they will be able to hand pick them right out of a new training school in Yellowknife.

Buffalo Airways put its hand up for the assignment and is offering a two-year aircraft maintenance engineering (AME) program that will provide students with not only National Transport approved curriculum, but hands on training and apprenticeship employment opportunities.

Buffalo Airways has adopted the curriculum used for the AME program at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek, and will be hiring instructors from the college to teach at the new program's training facility. Set to start this September, the program will be run through Aurora College.

Joe McBryan, president of Buffalo Airways and now dean of the Buffalo Airways AME Training School, said the aviation industry across the North has shown support and interest in the start-up of the program.

"The buzz word is a shortage of help and again they want local help," said McBryan.

"The operator wants to get away from forever providing board and room, and transportation.

"Those (companies showing support) are the ones that approached me knowing that I probably had the background and facility to be able to put it together. Plus, we were an established company that would probably remain in the North for the foreseeable future."

"This is giving (students) an opportunity in the North to be trained in school in an environment they come from will go back to and will work in."

The school will be enroling 17 students in the first year. Students will be provided with summer apprenticeship placements each year of their training during the two year program.

Buffalo Airways will offer extensive hands-on training during the instruction phase.

"That's the unique feature that is available now because over the years Buffalo has accumulated a fleet of aircraft that are seasonal and they are available for hands on training and instruction."

Great Slave Helicopters and First Air are also providing use of some of their equipment for the program.

McBryan said that the number of graduates that will graduate from the program every year will likely be in great demand by the industry.

"In our study we found we could put 17 students through a year but we know that the industry could handle 25-30 students a year."

Interested students are putting their names on a list while waiting to officially apply for the program through Aurora College.

"There will be no problem with recruitment, the demand is there," said Ginger Lester, the AME Program Coordinator with Buffalo Airways and liaison with Aurora College. "People stop us on the street to find out about the program. Because at this point we are just finishing putting the whole package together I would be their first contact and within a few weeks we will have an Aurora College contact."