April is the month when most college students graduate from their university in our country. After all the hard work and what seemed like endless nights of plates and projects, the day has finally arrived to start a new chapter of life being independent in the reality of workforce. However, one often wonder what step to do next now that the routine life in school is gone.
Asian College of Aeronautics’ new batch of graduates ready to join the workforce.
To help you answer these questions, let us share to you an inspiring speech from AAG’s Regional Director, Cris Magdangal, delivered to a strong number of 143 graduates from Asian College of Aeronautics in their 6th Commencement Exercise last April 12 this year.
Regional Director Cris Magdangal is the event’s Guest of Honor and Speaker.
“At the onset, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Management and Staff of the Asian College of Aeronautics for inviting me to address its 6th Commencement Exercises.
Allow me as well to congratulate the 143-strong members of the graduating batch for a job well done. We share the felicitation and this honor to the proud parents, relatives, and loved ones.
Ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant morning.
We are witnessing “a new golden age of aviation” right here, right now.
From the Wright Brothers’ 59-second 852 feet-long flight onboard their Flyer at Kitty Hawk in 1903; the 1935 crossing of the Pacific from San Francisco to Manila by Pan Am’s China Clipper; the B707’s ushering in of the jetliners age in 1957; to the maiden flight of the B747 jumbo jet in 1969;
We have the privilege, right within our own lifetime, of seeing the rise (and later, fall) of the A380; experiencing the new routes being opened by Boeing and Airbus with their 787s and 350s; benefiting from the game-changing LCC strategy trailblazed by Southwest Airlines — later copied by Ryanair and EasyJet in Europe and by AirAsia in Asia;
And now, the amazing reduction of travel time from Australia to the U.K. from what used to be 12 days in the 1930s, 4 days in the 1940s, 2 days in the 1950s, down to just 17 hours non-stop this year.
As what Richard Quest says in his CNN report: “aviation has been about innovation…with more of us flying long distances to more places, this is truly a golden age of air travel.”
What drives this unprecedented growth in the aviation industry?
According to a 2016 Forbes.com online article:
- “Rising GDP, and consequently, disposable income and living standards, result in an increased demand for air travel for both business and leisure purposes.”
In our case here in the Philippines, NEDA’s “AmBisyon Natin 2040” depicts the growing propensity of Filipinos to travel.
2. “Recent studies by International Air Transport Association have concluded that working-age population makes more trips than its older and younger counterparts. As a result, countries witnessing a shift in demographic trends in favor of working-age population are likely to see higher growth in their air traffic.”
Ever heard the word “BLEISURE”? — it’s how our millennials see the letter “B” in business, and to them, it does not stand for the word “boring”. They work and earn to travel. They no longer abide by our notion of “work-life balance”. They now look for “work-life mix”. They are now shaping the future of work, travel…and love!
3.“Cost of travel is essentially the price paid by the customer to buy an air ticket. As air travel becomes cheaper, a larger number of people are able to afford it, resulting in an increase in traffic.”
Have you tried staying up from midnight ‘til late in front of your laptop, patiently “lying in wait” for that 1-peso airfare? If you haven’t tried, then you are so ‘90s!
Based on the latest aviation industry outlook, Asia Pacific is number 1 in the world in terms of passengers’ numbers with China, the U.S., India, Indonesia, and Turkey contributing the biggest chunk of the 35% market share.
Asian airlines are likewise among the fastest growing, with AirAsia ordering more than 500 Airbus A320s in the next decade.
Everything translates to increased demand for pilots. Imagine where to find 90 thousand pilots for Asia-Pacific alone over the next ten years!
All throughputs combined, the three to four thousand of so flight training organizations (FTOs) around the world can only produce 10 thousand pilots a year. This includes the production of the 30-plus FTOs in the Philippines.
With this ever-increasing demand, new and innovative pilot career pathways and training systems are required to meet crewing needs and safety standards.
Demand for pilots is increasing…
Demand for cabin crew is likewise increasing…
And airline technicians are equally in demand. For those of you who are still looking for opportunities, you need not go far. We have in the Philippines three (3) of the world’s biggest MRO providers: Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Singapore Engineering Philippines and Hong Kong’s Metrojet Engineering. For those itching for adventures abroad, North America and Europe can be viable options.
We at Alpha Aviation Group actively contributes to the growing industry. With our vision of providing every flight deck in the region with an airline-ready pilot, we constantly pursue to train and develop not only world-class pilots but future leaders for the industry as well. This we accomplish by providing top-of-class training solutions to our airline partners and cadets.
Our training philosophy revolves around the following core principles: we commit to training value, quality, and safety. As the only ISO 9001:2015 Certified FTO in the Philippines, our international and regulatory certifications and accreditations speak well of this commitment.
We have adopted and put up various management and operations systems and tools to aid us in our day-to-day and strategic/long-term initiatives.
Our training philosophy likewise revolves around our sincere commitment to service excellence, customer satisfaction, and teamwork.
Our Quality, Safety, and Compliance systems are designed to adhere to the highest standards in the world.
Our diverse human capital drives its visionary and pioneering management, training, product development, and support teams.
Our products and services are geared to provide complete solutions to our partners’ training needs.
We currently operate the youngest, safest, most advanced, and highly-efficient trainer aircraft fleet (all Cessna 172) in the Philippines. Flying at an average of 150 hours per month, our Cessnas goes through the doubly-meticulous Cessna PhaseCard Inspection Program.
For greater flexibility in executing our basic flight training, we currently operate in three (3) hubs.
Our Simulator Training Center boasts of a 99% reliability rate, 24/7-365 days a year operations, something that would practically be impossible without the infrastructure, support system and most importantly, human knowledge and expertise to back it up.
By 2019, we shall be seeing another A320 full flight simulator added to our growing inventory of simulator training devices.
As shown in one of my previous slides, shortage of workforce is also evident in the MRO industry — no longer a mere projection but a stark reality. The “baby boomers” are retiring and most millennials lack interest. In fact, in the most recent report of the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC), 20% of aviation maintenance technician (AMT) graduates pursue careers in other industries and only 60% take the FAA mechanic certification test.
The good news, however, is that practical interventions are available. Fortunately, ,in our case, the K-12 Program has paved the way for a sharper focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education making our younger and upcoming generation of workforce ready to face the challenges of a globalized and more technologically advanced and driven world.
We have to be more innovative in recruiting, training and engaging our millennial workforce.
At AAG, we are currently pursuing the “Women in Aviation” advocacy — reaching out to more women and helping them plan for their future career in the aviation industry. Initially intended to encourage more women toward pilot training, this is something that all of us in the aviation industry can pursue, celebrating the contribution not just of our female pilots but also of our female cabin and ground crew, admin and support, and maintenance and electronic technicians.
That is the interesting and challenging flight you are about taking, dear graduates. At 143-strong, you will most likely not create even a slight dent in the aggregate demand, but will most definitely make a big difference.
And it will all depend on how you translate the knowledge, skills, and attitude you gained from ACA into meaningful work and performance.
ACA has certainly accomplished well its two-pronged mission of providing quality education and producing quality graduates.
As ACA slowly realizes its vision of becoming a center of excellence able to address the needs of the aviation industry, we are confident that the education you have earned has prepared you well to co-own and eventually accomplish and share ACA’s goals, and these are: support national development and uplift the marginalized sector, provide leadership and become productive citizens.
Before I end, let me share with the ACA community and to you dear graduates, AAG’s game plan for the future.
We seek for and eagerly look forward to an expanded regional and global footprint and stronger partnerships; acquire more certifications, accreditations and advanced equipment and facilities; continually aim to provide world-class products and services.
With sustained collaboration between and among all aviation industry stakeholders including us, we shall soon see the Philippines emerged as the premier civil and military aviation training and maintenance hub in the region.
We are now ready to take off and start this new chapter in our history. Let us all join hands together, discover new horizons of opportunities and conquer the skies together!
Again, congratulations, Mabuhay and good morning to all.—”
The students waiting for their name to be called by their teacher for the last time.
One female graduate with awards presented by Mr. Cris.
To know more about how AAG can help you reach for the stars, click CONTACT US and we’ll be very willing to talk with you.