Polish student Ms Alicja Gajewska, selected in the recruitment process took part in a joint project of the Civil Aviation Authority and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for future professionals in the field of aviation. Ms. Gajewska had a unique opportunity to attend the “Next Generation of Aviation Professionals " Symposium addressed to the young people associated with the airline industry which was held in the headquarters of the ICAO in Montreal. The selected student also represented Poland at the ICAO Model Council Session next to the other 35 representatives of the Member States with the Permanent Representatives of the Council of ICAO. Students and young professionals in the field of aviation had the unprecedented opportunity to sit on the seats of delegates of their countries and discuss ways to achieve sustainable development of aviation and to attract young professionals. The project was organized to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Chicago Convention. Its purpose was to emphasize the need for training of new staff for civil aviation in order to meet projected demand associated with the development of the global air transport market.
The "Next Generation of Aviation Professionals" Symposium participants, which took place on 3 and 4 December 2014, had the opportunity to meet a number of specialists in the airline industry. The theme of the symposium was "Celebrate the Past - Prepare for the future". The seminar was opened by the Air Navigation Bureau Director Mrs Nancy Graham and the Chairman of the NGAP working group - Thomas Q. Carney. A special event was the speech of Mrs Julie Payette - astronaut and engineer, who in 1999 was the first Canadian astronaut staying aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Mrs Payette shared with the participants of the symposium her vast experience and history of her career, which was crowned with a flight into space.
Then the discussion within specific panels took place. The main purpose was to answer the questions faced by the airline industry, among others:.: "What type of tools and best practices does an industry have to attract the young professionals and how to stop them in the aviation industry?" And "Why competence are so important in aviation careers?". Professionals like Ashley Lauryssen (EUROCONTROL), Kellie White (Emirates Airlines), Greg Hindson (ENAC) and Mary Nelson (FAA Academy) presented their point of view and ideas how to resolve those issues. Then the Speed Networking took place which consisted short interviews with individual experts. Students and young professionals in the field of aviation had the opportunity to establish closer contact with industry experts, as well as to dispel any doubts about their career paths.
The second day began with a discussion on "How We can prepare current and future generations so they can succeed?". Mrs Nicole Desloges from Toronto Pearson presented a brief presentation on human resources and staff policy in that largest Canadian airport. In addition Daniel Ng (CAAS) and Nathalie Herasme (ASCA) made a speech about the business aviation academies with which they are associated. Next panel on ways of acquiring knowledge in the future was organized especially for the participants of the Model Session of the ICAO Council. Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, France and Cameroon had a discussion on the learning methods, including those that require the use of modern technology. It turned out that some of the young people still prefer the traditional learning methods, not necessarily highly technically developed. During that panel Sharoon Cook (Airways New Zealand), Margaret Martin (NAV CANADA), Ruichun Lin (Cafu, China), Suzanne Kearns (The University of Western Ontario) presented a method of learning that foster alignment with the individual and their needs and also offer better teaching performance.
During the next panel the issue of the international transfer of NGAP from global to more regional or national level was considered. William Agius, Sandro Covi and Manuel Walter from the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich (ZHAW) presented a proposal called NGAP Index, which would be helpful in solving this problem. NGAP Index is a compilation of relevant data for the aviation industry. The last panel was focused on the theme of creating the NGAP Index. The discussion was moderated by Nancy Graham and Aysha Al Hameli. After closing the topics of each panel participants pf Symposium summarized the findings of the second NGAP. The achievements of the first phase of NGAP (e.g. increased awareness of aviation among young people) was presented as well as the objectives to be achieved after the second phase of NGAP.
After the symposium a meeting bringing together women in the aviation industry was held. The meeting was organized by the IAWA (International Aviation Women's Association) in cooperation with ICAO to help women discuss, make new acquaintances and exchange experiences. In addition, during the meeting on the occasion of the celebration of the 70th anniversary of signing of the Chicago Convention the profiles of 70 women devoted to aviation were presented.
On 5 December 2014 the first meeting of the ICAO Model Council was held. Prior the Symposium all 36 prepared working papers and selected three of them under voting procedure. The best working papers prepared by the representatives of Australia, Nigeria and the United Kingdom were presented by their authors, and then the individual Member commented on them, and added suggestions. Participants had a unique opportunity to confront their point of view directly with other young people in the aviation industry from around the world. The main proposals during this Model Council Session were among others: creating better online tools for communication about the opportunities in the aviation industry, the promotion of women in aviation, directing attention to the celebrations of events connected to aviation to increase the interest of a broader group of people with the airline industry and the development of aviation education centers. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the working papers created by all 36 representatives and short videos presenting the participants.
More information on the NGAP Symposium is published on the ICAO website.
