Air Seychelles teams up with Unisey to provide employment opportunities in aviation industry

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Seychelles (UniSey) to provide aviation training programs and employment opportunities for students.

The MoU was signed at the Air Seychelles VIP Lounge between Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles and Professor Dennis Hardy, Vice-Chancellor of UniSey.

Under the terms of the MoU, students of the higher education institution will be able to attend lectures delivered by Air Seychelles experts on various facets of aviation operations, as well as benefit from vocational training at the airline’s headquarters and airport facilities on Mahé.

In addition, top performing graduates will be considered for employment and provided the opportunity of visiting Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art training academy in Abu Dhabi, where employees and graduates receive training and development.

During their visit to the capital of the UAE, graduates will also be able to hear from Seychellois who are currently enrolled in Air Seychelles’ Graduate Management Development Program about their experience whilst receiving on-the-job training.

Mr Kinnear said: “Air Seychelles is proud to partner with the University of Seychelles, an institution which is renowned for its educational excellence and producing high-calibre graduates.

“Some of our brightest and most-capable young staff graduated from UniSey and we are confident that the current group of students is just as impressive.

“As the national airline, one of our top aims is to develop a skilled pool of Seychellois aviation professionals who can continue to take Air Seychelles forward, and we are happy to count UniSey as a partner in achieving this goal.”

Professor Hardy said: “UniSey is delighted to collaborate with Air Seychelles on training programs that will equip our students with valuable practical experience and, through lectures, enable them to learn more about commercial aviation in general, which is critical for the tourism-based economy of Seychelles.”

Two UniSey graduates have so far participated in Air Seychelles’ Graduate Management Development Program, a 21 month workplace training course where members receive training in main business areas at Etihad Airways before specializing in one airline department.

Joel Bacharie graduated from the program in October 2015 and has returned to Air Seychelles, where he has taken up a management-level role as Acting Manager Internal Audit, while Sheryl Barra is currently gaining experience with the Air Seychelles Corporate Affairs team.

Ms Barra said: “Attending UniSey prepared me for work at Air Seychelles by equipping me with the research, problem-solving and analytical skills that are required for the exciting and fast-paced world of aviation. I feel fortunate to have found a career that is exciting but challenging at the same time and provides plenty of opportunities for developing my skills.”

Air Seychelles extended a similar MoU with the Seychelles Tourism Academy in September 2015, which is particularly orientated towards training pupils in customer-service related roles.