Dear Editor,
The article in the Stabroek News of Monday, May 10 reported former GDF aeronautical engineers as saying that the GDF Air Corps at Timehri needed to be upgraded. Observations were also made about engineers from another Caricom territory undertaking mechanical works on one of the army’s helicopters.
The former engineer made mention also of the Art Williams-Harry Wendt (AW-HW) Aeronautic Engineering School at Ogle as having trained locals and nationals from other Caribbean territories in aircraft engineering.
The AW-HW school runs a three-year training programme in Aircraft Engineering and on completion of that programme the successful student graduates and is presented with a certificate. As in the case of graduates from other learning institutions, who find that jobs are very scarce and sometimes non-existent after they have successfully completed their studies, the graduates from the AW-HW school are faced with this situation also. It is worthwhile noting that the tuition fee for the three-year programme is very high and can be classified as the most costly in the country. However in spite of the high cost, persons still attend this learning institution in pursuit of a career in aircraft engineering.
My son graduated four years ago after successfully completing the three-year programme, and is still awaiting a job in the aircraft engineering field. Before the commencement of the training, parents, sponsors and students were told at a meeting that on successfully completing the programme jobs would be on offer both locally and internationally as the school was recognized internationally. Promises were also made that students who excelled would be awarded scholarships to study overseas. To date nothing which was promised has happened.
Two years ago my son was selected along with some other graduates to travel to Trinidad on an attachment with an airline company operating out of that country. After providing him with the necessary finance to undertake the assignment, two days before their scheduled departure they were told that there was problem with accommodation for them in Trinidad and as soon as those were sorted out they would travel. To date that has not happened.
However, I was reliably informed that a chosen set of students some of whom were only in their second year into the programme went to Trinidad and spent eight months there on assignment with the said company. Having said all this it is therefore strange that the Air Corps base at Timehri has engaged the services of engineers from another Caricom country to work when there are locally trained and qualified engineers available in this country.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)