| Danial Norjidi |
EIGHT students have been awarded scholarships from the Government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to undergo Air Traffic Officer (ATO) training yesterday.
The students,are the second batch to receive this scholarship, were presented certificates during a ceremony officiated by Minister of Transport and Infocommunications Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof.
The event was organised by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) at the Amar Pahlawan Hall of the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications (MTIC).
The Special Scholarship Scheme for Air Traffic Officers is under the cooperation between the DCA, MTIC with the Scholarship Section, Ministry of Education.
Acting Director of Civil Aviation Abdul Ghani bin Haji Othman, in his opening remarks, said, “This programme is part of the steps taken by the DCA in ensuring safe and efficient air transport services in Brunei Darussalam.
“This programme is intended to supply the required workforce, especially air traffic officers, following the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).”
In a press release, it was shared that air traffic services are an essential part of air transport services, and as a measure to ensure the air traffic services in the country are in line with planned transportation goals, human resources are the primary focus.
In line with these goals, the DCA has been actively working on providing a sufficient number of Air Traffic Officers.
It was shared that, to become qualified Air Traffic Officers, they should undergo a special programme, the duration of which depends on the ability of the individual. Each officer must undergo theory and practical training, as well as written exams and competency tests.
The recipients will follow two phases of training programmes for one year – six months at the Malaysian Aviation Academy (MAvA) and another six months in the country.
The press release noted that participants who successfully attain a licence within the specified period will be offered a position in the Air Traffic Service Division at the DCA.
Deputy Permanent Secretary (Transport, Research and Development) at the MTIC Pengiran Mohd Amirrizal bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud and Deputy Permanent Secretary (Infocommunications, Cybersecurity, Strategy and Corporate) at the MTIC Haji Hairul Mohd Daud bin Haji Abdul Karim also attended the event.
Directors, heads of departments and authorities, senior officers from the MTIC and its departments, senior officers from the MoE as well as families of the the scholarship scheme recipients were also present.
The press release added that participants of the first batch of the Air Traffic Officer Scholarship Scheme have successfully completed all the required training. These participants are currently in the process of completing and fulfilling licensing and legal requirements.