Taking flight: Fanshawe College program soars to meet demand for aircraft mechanics

A critical shortage of aircraft maintenance personnel could be met by a new program at Fanshawe College in London, Ont.

The Norton Wolf School of Aviation has announced a partnership with Transport Canada to upgrade the skills of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AMEs) new to Canada.

“These are trained aircraft maintenance personnel from other countries, who are currently working in Canada and are underemployed because their licenses from other sources have not been recognized in Canada”, explained Associate Dean Larry Weir.

“So, this allows them to get a Transport Canada license.”

Unprecedented growth in the aviation industry has led to hundreds of job vacancies.

Weir said the problem is exacerbated by an aging population.

“There’s a ‘gray out’ going on. There are an awful lot of individuals who were trained in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, who are now retiring and going into other areas,” said Weir.

Weir believes the new program will counter the trend, as foreign-trained aircraft mechanics complete specific courses necessary to work in Canada.

“For instance, if the student studied in Columbia, there may only be one small program they must complete to bring them up to par with the Canadian license,” he said.

“So, we do that analysis, identify what the shortfall is, and then provide them with that course.”

The program will be funded by the participants. Five signed up in the first hours of its availability.

“It’s happening pretty quickly. We anticipate having 50 to 80 a year or more. The demand is very high.”