‘Polish Airports’ State Enterprise: The Aviation and Airport Education
Program is a new approach to educating specialists and industry managers

Supporting  the  development  of  specialized  aviation  and  airport  staff  and
adapting them to the dynamically changing challenges facing this branch of
transport.  These  are  the  main  assumptions  of  the  Aviation  and  Airport
Education  Program  (AAEP).  An  international  conference  inaugurating  the
project  was  held  in  Warsaw  today.  It  was  hosted  by  the  ‘Polish  Airports’
State Enterprise.

The  initiative  is  based  on  creating  conditions  for  long-term  cooperation  between
government  and  aviation  industry  representatives  and  the  education  sector.  During
the  conference,  the  current  needs  of  aviation  and  the  related  challenges  for  the
education  of  future  personnel  were  discussed.  The  meeting  was  attended  by
representatives of ministries and state institutions, CEOs, directors and employees of
the  largest  aviation  companies,  regional  airports,  airports  forming  the  V4+  Airports
association,  representatives  of  the  International  Airport  Council  (ACI  World)  and
institutions accredited by ACI and ICAO. The conference was an opportunity to present
the vision and goal of the program as well as consult the pre-planned activities.

“We  cannot  afford  to  wait  with  our  arms  folded.  The  reality  is  changing  before  our
eyes - says Stanisław Wojtera, CEO of the ‘Polish Airports’ State Enterprise –
“That is why we are creating a program that will comprehensively adapt our industry
to  the  new  realities  and  build  a  solid  base.  It  cannot  be  achieved  without  good
professionals.”

The most important assumption of the Aviation and Airport Education Program is to
provide qualified staff  at every level of competence  - from ground handling agents,
through aircraft mechanics, to junior, middle and top-level managers.

“We can see that  the  aviation industry will need a large number of new employees
within a few years. This is an opportunity for many young Poles who think about their
future  and  would  like  to  connect  it  with  airports”  -  says  Deputy  Minister  of
Infrastructure Marcin Horała – “There will be a lot of well-paid and attractive jobs
in this industry. It is also a chance to appear in the international environment.”

The  program  is  to  focus  on  three  elements  -  an  inventory  of  the  current  state  of
aviation and airport education, industry integration and filling the diagnosed
competence gaps by building development paths. AAEP assumes close cooperation -
schools  and  universities  will  be  able  to  count  on  the  substantive  assistance  of
specialists, and industry companies will provide graduates with clearly defined paths
of  professional  development.  It  is  extremely  important,  because  one  of  the  most
important staffing problems in modern aviation is the failure to adapt the education
system to market requirements.

-  “‘Polish  Airports’  State  Enterprise  wants  to  take  care  of  the  staff,  support  the
development of aviation-related education, as well as share knowledge and practical
skills. Thanks to the Aviation and Airport Education Program, new employees will be
able to enter the labor market more consciously” - says Paweł Kranc, director of
the ‘Polish Airports’ State Enterprise Management Board Office.

The Aviation and Airport Education Program is designed for many years. Its authors
hope that thanks to this initiative, in the next two decades, it will be possible to provide
qualified employees in the air transport sector for the national carrier, regional airports
and one of the largest Polish investments - the Solidarity Transport Hub.

Source polish-airports.com