PRESENTATION AT THE 2015 NCAT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION LECTURE By Captain Tunde Adekoya

The work force in Aviation Industry can be generally classified into two groups – the skilled and non-skilled. The non-skilled category can be sourced from the pool of job applicants and given tailor-made job orientation (usually of short duration) to equip them for the work place.
The skilled workforce however, is usually licensed as an attestation of competence to perform key duties critical to the objective of the organization. I might just add that any negligence in the performance of duty by these skilled workers is subject to State sanctions and or prosecution in courts of law. It is for this reason that minimum levels of experience in specified positions are prescribed as entry requirements.

Qualifying for a position in the skilled category implies:
1. Specialized training institution for basic/advanced certification
2. On the Job Training (OJT) for line experience and skill acquisition
3. A time lapse of 3 to 5 years post certification
4. A tidy sum of money expended in the process ranging from 10 to 50
million Naira per candidate.

Without doubt, getting the desired manpower in the skilled category calls for visionary leadership, planning and projection, phased training program and huge capital outlay often in foreign currency.
For any set up within the Industry to get it right, there must be:
a) Organizational Discipline and Passion for Aviation
b) Long term prospect for survivability/profitability,
c) An enabling operating environment and
d) Deep pocket
An organization that went this far cannot afford to see its human capital loafing or leave its HR development to happenstance.

Currently, there is a mismatch and lopsidedness in the provisioning of manpower for the Industry in Nigeria. This is an unhealthy outlook.
This presentation therefore is an attempt to address this subject.

THE CHALLENGE/BACKGROUND
Someone once said that Nigeria is a country of paradoxes; “we export what we do not have and we import what we already have in abundance” In other words, we act contrary to the rest of the world. The rest of the Aviation world is currently battling with how to attract its young generation to take up careers in the Industry so as to address the crisis of acute shortage of entry level manpower. In Nigeria, the converse is true. There is a dearth of critical manpower at the higher operational level while we have a glut at the entry level.

To this end, we have resorted to hiring expats from other countries (including fellow African countries) to bridge the gap and where we failed to do so by reason of certain constraints, our services suffer to the detriment of safety and competitiveness. Statistically, there are over five hundred pilots and much more aircraft engineers without employment in Nigeria today. Cabin Crew and Flight Dispatchers are also in their hundreds without jobs. I dare not delve into the dilemma of other support services personnel in their thousands who have received training of sorts only to swell the number of the unemployed. This has proved to be a challenge for the industry that is facing the decline of older professionals who have or are crossing the sixty year age limit and the sixty five year limit for pilots.

While the above had focused on staff working in and around the aircraft, there are little challenges with air traffic control Officers and air traffic engineers as all are staff of NAMA and their training is pre-planned to meet the agency’s needs.
It would be naive to divorce these challenges from the National/Global youth unemployment but Aviation is unique. The only parallel I can draw is that of a Medical Doctor: sorted from a pack of excellent graduates from high school, trained at exorbitant costs through Clinical College only to qualify a House Officer without opportunity to practice. For sure he will lose the skill with time, become frustrated and may turn out a danger to self and society. The usual counsel for youths to be creative and resort to self-help is defeatist and futile in his situation. The Country certainly is the bigger loser in the final analysis. What a colossal waste!

In same vein, the skilled aviation personnel require constant and continuous practice if they are not to forfeit their licenses.

How did we get to this challenge of massive unemployment?

The 1970s was the decade that aviation in Nigeria witnessed a massive development. Every state capital then was privileged to have an airport to enhance commercial, political and good governance. Nigeria Airways was also boosted to raise its fleet size and capacity with aircrafts including those on lease. All these were to meet up with a growing demand for air travel.

Following the significant growth of Nigeria Airways and with twelve airports across the country to cope with, the Federal Government used the airline as a platform for training of Nigerians. The manpower needs of the airline were adequately met. In fact, some Nigeria Airways staffs, considering the level of training available today, are fond of saying that, they were over trained. The airline did not take chances with the training of its staff who by extension were largely Nigerians. As the industry was growing, human resources was also being given serious attention matching development with the needed manpower.

 However, by the mid-eighties, the then government of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babagida introduced the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the Naira was devalued. This greatly affected the entire economy and aviation was not isolated. Training was seriously affected and it began to take the back seat. Private airlines started coming on board but had no financial muscle to train the way Nigeria Airways did. They poached staff from the Airways who were already trained. The cost of training was also beyond the reach of individuals and within two decades the industry witnessed a decline in skilled and experienced manpower which created a generational gap forcing older pilots and aircraft engineers to continue working beyond their retirement age. Even Nigeria Airways was unable to continue its training and it became a serious issue in the sector. This generational gap coupled with lack of training gave birth to present day lack of capable experienced hands in our cockpits and hangers. It is believed that the fatal accidents of the decade from 1995 to 2005 can be linked to this dearth of training and experience.

With improved regulations, the issue of manpower took a centre stage at the turn of the century. The 2006 Regulations are now more stringent and any airline wishing to operate must have qualified and adequate staff. This window of opportunity paved the way for some families with the financial muscle to send their wards for training abroad. State Governments like Kano, Taraba and the Niger Delta amnesty program also got involved in this mass sponsorship of young school leavers to pursue courses in aviation, all in a bid to tackle youth unemployment.

The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Zaria, after a decade of inactivity, bounced back with massive training of pilots and aircraft engineers. The coming on board of International Aviation College Ilorin an initiative of the Kwara State Government, ensured that Nigeria has adequate capacity to train its Aviation entry level manpower. With the influx of graduates from foreign training schools combined with those produced within, the industry was flooded with fresh manpower which could not be readily employed because they had only the ab initio licenses.

A second phenomenon is the disappearing workplace occasioned by massive reduction in fleet size as well as numerous airline closures. Majority of the newly certified airlines hardly make it to their second anniversary. Some were even dead on arrival not having flown a single hour post AOC certification.

For some curious reasons a booming private airlines cargo operation of 10-15 large aircrafts suddenly fizzled with attendant job loses. Not that the number of operating airlines matter, so long as we have commensurate fleet size with extensive route network that is large enough to accommodate the battalion of eager workforce ready to make a positive impact on the economy.

Ironically, the aviation Industry is growing even in Nigeria. The latest IATA figures show that in 2014, there was a 4-7% growth in passenger traffic from the airports of Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt, but how many of these passengers were carried by Nigerian Airlines? 5%? The foreign carriers have not only taken away our money in profits but have also taken our jobs to the bargain.

The non-acquisition of brand new aircraft implies loss of training credit memos that comes with the package yet our airlines cringe under the burden of training costs. This is aside from the operational advantages that new equipment provide.

To summarize, we got here because of:
– Disappearing aviation work places courtesy failed and failing airlines
– New regulations more stringent on operating and employment
standards
– Non strategic coordinated manpower production
– Absence of National policy on aviation manpower needs
– Lopsidedness in available manpower
– Infiltration of expatriate workers
– Abdication of training responsibility due to cost
– The National/Global youth unemployment

THE IMPERATIVES

Whenever there is a failed plan of succession in any human endeavor, valuable knowledge gained is lost, sometimes at punitive expense.
Training Institutions are demotivated and may likely shut down when their graduates successively fail to get absorbed into the labour market.
The graduates themselves with no opportunity to horn their skills, lose competence, have dreams unfulfilled and are largely frustrated. When job opportunities tarry long, getting them to re qualify could prove expensive to both employer and applicant.
Airlines in need of suitably qualified hands at both the entry level and upper end of manpower chain are forced to source from outside the country at prohibit costs. This factor contributes in no small measure to their business failure.

Due to many failed startups, the industry can hardly boast of workers with continuous long service experience and culture. Culture is a useful tool for entrenching safety standards and values in any thriving business. Our National pride of a completely indigenized industry is gradually eroded. These disconnect, between job functions and manpower development is a recipe for failed industry. Any wonder then why our dear industry is the way it is in Nigeria?

THE WAY FORWARD
The surest way forward is for all to truly accept that we have a problem with manpower development for the industry and there be a readiness to change in pertinent areas as indicated below. However, the list below is by no means exhaustive.

Policy
There is an urgent need for government to review its policy on Aviation with a view to addressing some of the lapses earlier enumerated. Specifically attempts must be made to bring back the disappearing work places by:

Establishing a national carrier large enough to take on a work force similar to the defunct Nigeria Airways. Current Presidential directive in this regard needs be expedited.
Setting up a maintenance base to handle major checks up to check D for medium to large jets. This translates to huge savings for airlines whose aircrafts are mostly abandoned at the threshold of a major check. It also provides opportunity for maintenance personnel development.
All stakeholders should submit to NCAA a realistic manpower development plan, the implementation of which is tied to their expansion plan approvals.
Administration of BASA should not only favor passenger movement but must take care of jobs exported to benefitting countries at the expense of our unemployed youths. WIN WIN deals need not only be cash but in kind.

Operators
The business model of any startup needs a paradigm shift. An all Turbojet operation for sectors less than 60 minutes flight time is not cost effective. 75% of Nigeria’s domestic operation can be profitably delivered by turbo propeller aircrafts. What is needed is passenger education. The benefit to this discourse is multiple:
provides avenue for greater employment for fresh graduates
the elusive cognate experience is gathered more quickly
it is avenue for progressive crew transition from small to medium to large aircraft
network spread can be easily achieved to cover hitherto unused airports.
Developing own personnel through sponsorship program to pertinent courses enhances standards and safety. It promotes staff loyalty and helps to build team spirit
Taking on fresh graduates on an OJT for a token salary is an investment in future manpower needs of the company and an opportunity for the new graduates to acquire the much needed experience.

Training Institutions

Must tailor their courses to the needs of the end users through coordination and cooperation.
Curriculum review should be carried out periodically to ensure relevance to employment requirement e.g. MPL training prepares the pilots for the two man cockpit of passenger liners
Efforts should be geared towards attracting patronage from other nations in Africa so as to prevent over capacity for the local market.

Unions
Though times demand tough measures, the unions should be pragmatic in encouraging its members to accept pay cuts if it will allow their employers to take on new hires who in turn will understudy them. Their members can accede to early retirement so as to pave way for younger elements. It’s all a matter of willingness to sacrifice for the sake of upcoming generation.

Parents and Sponsors
Money spent on developing personnel in aviation is huge. For it to be reasonable investment, parents and Government agencies must have assurance of waiting employment otherwise same fortune expended could set up other additional beneficiaries for gainful self-employment.

CONCLUSION
Some have suggested a slack in the Regulations to allow a leeway in the stringent requirements for AOC certification. This, I strongly oppose because the problem is not with the regulatory provisions but its interpretation and the individual operators implementation.

In summary, if only we are willing to:
– Create more work places by design
– Bring back a thriving General Aviation
– Plan and train manpower to meet growth and retirements
– Be our brothers’ keeper by offering to be a part of the solution
Then and only then will our industry take off to a steady cruise.

Thank you”