Without doubt, the Nigerian aviation industry has recorded some tremendous progress and stakeholders agree unequivocally that the successes achieved since independence have been due to new players in the sector both locally and internationally. There are key players in the industry and one of those players who have been making giant strides within the Nigerian airspace and beyond is British Airways.
Having recognised the rich pool of human potentials in the sector, British Airways announced the launch of a capacity building initiative which it tagged, ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’.
The initiative which was targeted at students from Nigeria College of Aviation Technology College (NCAT), Zaria, Kaduna, was aimed at further deepening British Airways commitment to meeting the manpower needs in the Nigerian aviation industry.
According to Kola Olayinka, country commercial manager (West Africa), British Airways, the idea was also part of a larger plan that the global airline was deploying to contribute to the development of the country’s aviation sector.
Olayinka added that the initiative was designed to bridge the gap between the classroom and the actual work environment, noting that the international airline is passionate about supporting talents by providing them with veritable platform on which they can learn and gain experience in their chosen fields.
Already, the initiative has started yielding fruits. Through Leaders of Tomorrow, British Airways has successfully impacted the lives of six young Nigerians from the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria who eventually emerged winners of the project.
The winners were: Abimbola Caulcrick, a student of Abridged Airframe and Power plant (AAP-8); Fajemisin Peter Adebola; Adachie Gabriel Eneojo, both post graduate students in Aviation Management; Banigo Michael; Ubong George Itok, both studying Standard Airframe & Power plant (AP-27) and Ogunranti Olaluwa, a student of Abridged Avionics (AAVO-13).
The six of them were given an opportunity to undergo a two-week internship at British Airways head office in Nigeria, as well as, pay a week visit to the company’s global office at London Heathrow, where they met with Keith Williams, the chief executive officer of British Airways.
Recounting his experience in London, Eneojo, one of the winners and now a business development manager with Wakanow.com courtesy British Airways, said meeting the Chief Executive Officer of British Airways is an experience he cannot forget in a hurry.
“The thrill for me was visiting the headquarters and seeing the level of organisation and structure British Airways possesses. The highpoint was meeting the CEO and being able to present Nigerian aviation industry from the perspective of a student, as well as, a fast learning and growing professional”, he added.
He remarked that the international training has exposed him to the rudimentary requirements of the aviation industry globally, adding that it has also helped him improve on his work role at Wakanow.com.
On his part, Peter Fajemisin, who is presently in the employment of the airline said the internship gave him an insight into the cross-cultural dimensions of global business operations.
Fajemisin stressed that, “Internship at British Airways gave me an opportunity to grow professionally. The comprehensive training and hands on experience during the internship also gave me an edge over my peers in the industry”.
Aside the visit to the London head office, the winners also visited the airlines engineering base, the world class training centre-Crane Bank in London and even flew the 747 on the BA simulator. At the end of the internship, they all received a British Airways accredited certification from the CEO to mark their graduation from the Leaders of Tomorrow Academy.
After having experienced on a first -hand global aviation practice as well global business operations, the beneficiaries showered encomiums on British Airways for conceiving such initiative which has profited them in many ways than one.
According to the BA management, “sustainability is a core element of our business plan and we recognise that at British Airways, we are expected to set the standard on responsible aviation. We focus our efforts in three areas: Mitigating our environmental impact; enriching livelihoods and communities and being a responsible business and employer. We believe that by doing everything we can to mitigate our environmental impact, enrich livelihoods and communities which we serve and be a responsible business and employer, we will deliver on our promise of responsible flying for everyone”.
It is noteworthy that in 2010, BA began a partnership with Comic Relief with the aim to raise £6million by the end of 2013. As a result of the generosity of both its customers and colleagues, it exceeded its target raising in excess of £6.75million by December 2013.
As an airline, BA connect people, cultures and communities across the globe and as a result, it takes its social obligations seriously and recognises that flying provides a unique opportunity for it to get people and goods to places where they need to be, making a difference to communities across the world.
The airline currently supports more than 40 charities through its Community and Conservation Programme and Flying Start, its charity partnership with Comic Relief UK.
It also provides learning programmes for the local community through its Community Learning Centre.
BA’s key priorities for investment include education and youth development, colleague engagement, conservation and emergencies while its work focuses on four specific areas enabling it to set the standard for responsible flying and deliver its commitment to the communities it serves.
SADE WILLIAMS
