BAE SYSTEMS partners with Qatar Aviation College to set up Centre of Excellence

A joint venture company will be established to manage the centre. The shareholding will be split 50/50 between Qatar Aeronautical College and BAE Systems.

QAC has also signed a MoU with US-based Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) - a world leader in aviation and aerospace higher education - to provide Bachelor Degree courses. It is hoped that the association with ERAU will result in the establishment of a campus in Doha. Another key partnership will be with Saudi Development and Training, a BAE Systems' joint venture company, which will be supporting QAC as it builds its accredited foundation programme.

'BAE SYSTEMS has had a presence in Qatar for many years and this joint venture, with the Qatar Aeronautical College, endorses its continued support to the country and its people, as well as the wider Middle East region, and provides a platform for a long and beneficial strategic partnership,' said Simon Keith, Managing Director Middle East, BAE Systems.

'The College will provide the highest standards of under-graduate and post-graduate vocational and academic training in aviation related disciplines and create a regional Centre of Excellence such that students who graduate have the knowledge, skills and capabilities to support themselves in their chosen careers.

'With its investment in the Qatar Aeronautical College BAE Systems will make a significant contribution to the on-going development of the Middle East's aviation industry through the transfer of skills and the creation of jobs, thus helping ensure the region's future prosperity,' added Keith.

The QAC was founded in 1977, as the Civil Aviation College of the Gulf States. It currently offers diploma courses in Aeronautical Meteorology, Air Traffic Control, Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and Aviation Electronics, in addition to pilot training.

'The College provides aviation training in a unique co-educational environment that facilitates both academic and vocation studies. It utilises an integrated and comprehensive and rigorous curriculum that allows students to get the best introduction to aviation, including hands-on experience using the latest technology,' said Ali Al Malki, Director General, QAC.

Entry to the QAC is open to any applicant who meets the entrance requirements and passes selection. Selection is in the form of written and aptitude testing, an interview and of course the educational requirements. The College is open to all nationalities and no student is denied entry on grounds of race, colour, religion or ethnic background. Vocational and Bachelors degrees are underpinned with BTEC training for all students in English and General Education.

Qatar Aeronautical College is the training supplier and partner to Qatar Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways. It has also carried out training for a number of other airlines and aviation regulatory bodies, including Gulf Air, Gulf Helicopters, Emirates, Oman Air, Arab Civil Aviation Commission, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and Kuwait Directorate of Civil Aviation.