Odisha: Govt to provide pilot training to 50 tribal students

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government will provide preparatory pilot training to 50 tribal students, mostly women, to make them ready for the professional course, an official said on Sunday. The Commerce and Transport Department of the Odisha government has recently issued a tender to hire a professional agency to provide the training.

As per the tender document, the government, through the selected private agency, will identify at least 300 tribal students, from whom 50 will be shortlisted through proper screening to impart the preparatory training. The selected 50 students, mostly women, will receive coaching, covering all selection parameters of airline cadet pilot assessment, in Bhubaneswar for eight weeks, the official said.

The coaching is aimed at preparing the candidates to clear the cadet pilot assessment and also make them ready for the basic foundation programme syllabus set by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and give an overview of the flying training course, he said.

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Training of eight weeks

The programme aims to train the selected candidates in English proficiency, personal development, self-improvement and grooming, basic aviation knowledge, human performance and limitations, aptitude and psychometric tests, group discussion and interview, portable simulator training for hand-eye-foot coordination and spatial orientation, among others.

The private agency will provide training for a period of eight weeks, with an average teaching schedule of six hours per day for five days a week. It will include self-supervised studies, computer-based training and mock examinations, he added. Regular assessments will be conducted upon completion of each module and special training will be provided during weekends for those lagging behind, the transport department official said.

After completion of the preparatory training, the 50 students will sit for the final round of selection by private airlines such as Air India and IndiGo . They will again shortlist top 10 students through their own tests and provide them technical training to make them professional pilots, he added.