The Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), has sponsored 12 Nigerian youths to undergo nine months intensive theoretical and practical flight training in helicopter piloting at the Hover Dynamics Training Center, Sandton, South Africa.
A release signed by the agency’s head of press relations, Mr Kalu Otisi, disclosed that the internationally certified private helicopter pilots were part of the 20 Nigerian students sponsored by the agency, as part of its special training and educational scheme under the post amnesty capacity building programme of the federal government.
He further added that the student pilots will however spend another eight months of training in order to qualify for commercial pilot licenses that will certify them for employment as pilots in the industry as well as fly on private grounds.
Executive Secretary of PTDF- Dr Oluwole Oluleye, reportedly visited the Hover Dynamics Helicopter Pilot Training facility in South Africa to monitor the progress of thetrainees, said the training programme is part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s targeting of youths for engagement into various professions in the oil and gas industry.
“Mr. President wants to ensure that our people play a definitive role within the industry and you young men and women are beneficiaries of that transformation agenda. On our part, PTDF is working with Nigerian content development and monitoring board (NCDMB), to identify skills gaps within the industry that can be filled by our own people,” the statement quoted Oluleye
Oluleye further added that as a matter of policy, the fund will ensure that beneficiaries of its training programmes come into jobs on graduation.
“I have been sourcing and looking around to find where to fit all of you who will be graduating in a couple of months as commercial pilots. There are several organizations that I know that have helicopters but don’t have people to pilot them. So this opens avenues for job creation for you and we will take it up as far as possible to ensure that those places absorb you’’.
The statement quoted the chief executive officer of Hover Dynamics, Mr Tony Feldman, saying the private pilot license holders among the trainees can now fly helicopters worth half a million US dollars unassisted, with no one to direct them on what to do.
“They do all the planning, they do all the radio communication with the control tower, and they do every single thing that is required of a pilot,” he said.
