Melbourne-based university RMIT has teamed with Adelaide’s Hartwig Air to offer a new pilot training pathway in South Australia.
Under the agreement, announced on December 20, Hartwig Air will deliver the flying training component of RMIT’s Associate Degree in Aviation.
“We know the aviation industry needs qualified pilots and we are confident the Hartwig Air-RMIT partnership can help address some of this unprecedented demand,” Hartwig Air CEO Captain David Blake said.
“We are delighted to be using the same teaching methods, assessment and student information systems that RMIT uses at its aviation training school at Point Cook in Melbourne’s west.”
Parafield-based Hartwig Air has trained more than 3,000 pilots since its establishment in 1969, and is an accredited training provider for Vietnam Airlines.
“Throughout studying the degree, students will gain the practical and theoretical skills needed to achieve Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification as a commercial pilot. You will gain sufficient aeronautical knowledge, practical skills and master appropriate behaviours to fly an aircraft safely and reliably,” Hartwig Air explains on its website.
“Through the pathway to gaining a commercial pilots licence, you’ll also develop the necessary skills to apply for the recreational pilots licence (RPL), the private pilot’s licence (PPL) and required knowledge for the air transport pilots licence (ATPL).”
The partnership would also allowAssociate Degree in Aviation students to gain pilot-in-command time through Hartwig’s charter division, flying shark patrols and regional mail flights.
“For a young pilot, this opportunity provides invaluable paid hours in command of aircraft and makes them highly-employable as they have more than the minimum number of hours under their belt when they graduate,” RMIT Pro Vice-Chancellor Science, Engineering and Health and Vice-President Professor Peter Coloe said.
“Hartwig Air has an international quality accreditation and is well-known for preparing students for the world of work.”
RMIT says that Associate Degree graduates will have the opportunity to fast-track into a Bachelor of Applied Science (Aviation) at RMIT in Melbourne, which would take a further 18 months of study.
