As part of government's drive to transform the civil aviation industry, the Eastern Cape Department of Transport in partnership with Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) started the screening of 47 youth from the Alfred Nzo and OR Tambo District, who want to participate in the Air Traffic Controllers' Training Programme at the Holiday Inn in Mthatha today.
This marked the commencement of the screening process throughout the province according to the following schedule:
| Venue | Date & Time | Number | |
| Alfred Nzo & OR Tambo | Garden Court - Mthatha | 15 February 2012 09:00 | Alfres Nzo – 16 learners & OR Tambo - 31 learners |
| Amatole, Chris Hani & Joe Gqabi | King Club, King Williams Town | 16 February 2012 11:00 | Amatole - 16, HO – 18, Joe Gqabi – 2, Chris Hani - 4 |
| Cacadu | Provincial Traffic Department, Struandale | 17 February 2012-02-07 09:00 | Cacadu - 55 |
To qualify students need to have passed grade 12 with the following:
• Mathematics (not maths literacy) Level 4/ D (HG)/ C (SG)
• English Level 4/ D (HG)/ C (SG)
Students who meet the above requirements were expected to register at their nearest Department of Transport offices and had to bring certified copies of their matric certificates/ results and IDs.
Registered students will be notified about the date and venue for briefing and assessment.
This initiative is in line with the department’s “Transport Sector Skills Revolution Campaign”, which seeks to ensure that we produce the scarce skills required by this critical sector of our economy.
Presently, there are more than 300 young people of the Eastern Cape, who have benefitted from the department’s bursaries and they include 285 Africans, 134 females and 115 students who are doing their National Diploma in Civil Engineering.
This initiative augurs well with our commitment to the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s 2011/12 Campaign that seeks to take civil aviation to more disadvantaged areas of our society. South Africa continues to place priority on the need to have regional integration with the intention of ensuring the safety of African skies through developing and retaining highly skilled personnel.
“As a province, we appreciate any partnership that seeks to reposition the transport sector in line with the development priorities of government, including the building of a skills and human resources base in order to intervene decisively and redress this systematic exclusion of the majority of our people from the mainstream of the economy. We are looking forward to a day when the shortage of air traffic controllers and pilots will be a challenge of the past and to see more young Africans, especially girls, not only serving refreshments inside aeroplanes, but being active participants in this industry,” says Transport MEC Thandiswa Marawu.
Media contact:
Ncedo Kumbaca
Director: Communications
Cell: 082 562 6023
