The unveiling, to scores of Corporate Area high-school students, took place at the Hilton Kingston hotel in New Kingston where a battery of industry representatives, led by Minister of Transport and Works Mike Henry, introduce the participants to the high-tech career field of aircraft maintenance.

The Caribbean Aerospace College, which is due to open its door in June 2009, is a private-sector initiative between Surrey Paving and joint partner the Air Transport Training College of Singapore, whose technical curriculum has already been approved by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, local regulator of the aviation industry.

Scholarships

Henry, who made an offer to finance one of several scholarships that are likely to be made available, pointed out that Singapore is a leading country in the maintenance repair and overhaul of large aircraft and training under their curriculum qualifies graduates for the international market.

Henry heaped praises on Surrey Paving boss Leslie Chang and for their initiative and described the move as the perfect example of private sector commitment to human capital investment in Jamaica. He explained that the initiative was born out of a ministerial visit to Singapore one year ago, along with private sector and regulatory officials, to explore a range of opportunities in the transport sector.

Director of Flight Safety at the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, Nari Williams-Singh, in welcoming the move, pointed out the role of the regulator in facilitating and providing oversight to the orderly development of civil aviation in Jamaica.