The aerospace and aviation industry has become one of the fastest-growing industries in our country and as a result, several stakeholders are coming together to join hands for reducing the skill gap while creating job opportunities in different sub-sectors. According to the experts in the field, there is a demand for different models of training and apprenticeship as per the global standards in different areas of aerospace and aviation. Overcoming the skill deficiency will not just boost productivity and efficiency of the job aspirants but also improve job creation in ancillary sectors such as hospitality and tourism.
According to the reports of Wings India, 2018, our country has been projected to become the 3rd largest aviation market by the next six years and if the situation continues to improve, it can become the largest industry by 2030. Thus, the aviation industry is all set to lead the world from the forefront for making it a demand-driven system as it can boost the economy by improving connectivity and creating more jobs and vacancies. It is worth mentioning that the government should be considered as a regulatory body and therefore, skilling the job aspirants should be realized as an interdependent activity impacting the entire ecosystem of the aviation industry.
Understanding the importance of skill development
The aviation sector in India is currently grappling with a deficiency of 500 pilots in 2019 with more than 1300 airlines being on a roster. Besides, cabin crew is not in its optimal with 1350 shortfall and 9200 ground personnel. These three jobs are regarded as high profile in the aviation sector of our country. The present projection shows higher demand for jobs in the industry compared to supply and it cannot be satiated with low and entry-level expertise of newcomers.
Increase in aircraft: It is expected that there will be an expansion in the airline industry with an addition of 100 aircraft by the end of next year. It is supposed to create around 18,000 direct and indirect jobs across different functions and levels.
Expansion of fleet: Though it might appear to be untrue that industry going through a rough phase can face a shortfall of talent. But the reality is that several problems of the industry can be actually mitigated with the expansion of the fleet and it has kept the demand levels above that of supply. With skill development, the hurt margins of the aviation industry can come around in the coming years. There is also a shortfall of route planning experts, maintenance staff, captains, and productivity planners. In some of these areas, there is also a demand for expert professionals owing to the unavailability of local talent.
A mismatch between demand and supply: This condition has created a positive impact on the aviation industry and it may create a favorable environment in the hiring sector. Thus, the training institutions are also expanding their training programs for creating adept airline professionals.
It is estimated that 250 pilots are trained on an average every year from each institution. But the industry demands this figure to rise to 900. As a result, aviation training institutes are compelled to increase their training capacity within the course of the next few months.
The dearth of talent: The aviation industry in India requires engineers and pilots with precise technical skills along with a host of soft skills that are invaluable for this industry. It is desirable that the candidates must have proper knowledge in electrical, electronic, or mechanical engineering along with system integration. They must be trained on various global skills so that they become receptive to the international standards of quality and safety.
Though India witnesses millions of graduates every year, they lack the readiness to be a part of any established industry. This talent pool can create a key role to achieve a sustainable ecosystem for the aviation and aerospace industry of the country. At present, there are a number of universities in India offering tailor crafted courses for this sector. But we are yet to have a properly-recognized and well-managed education system that specializes in aerospace and aviation. This will help in readily hiring talent along with deployment under various programs as per the needs and requirements of the industry.
Though many people may believe that India’s aviation industry is undergoing turbulence at present, yet it is not a very difficult situation for professionals who are working with top-notch airlines. There is a steady shortfall of information, talent, and skills amongst the young generation which makes them unfit for this highly aspiring job profile. Therefore, it is high time that we think of skill development in the aviation sector particularly so that India can rise and shine in the coming days.
