NMIT aviation programme receives world class certification

Aviation students work on an aircraft at NMIT's Woodburne training centre in 2014. The course has now received the first ...

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology's (NMIT) aviation engineering course has become the first in New Zealand to receive a new, internationally-recognised certification.

The aviation industry has lobbied the government for over five years to adopt the 'Part 147' licence, an amalgam of the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) current operating requirements and European Aviation Safety Agency training which aligns New Zealand with international aircraft maintenance standards.

NMIT's manager of aviation Raewyn Heta said the new certification would impact the majority of the course's 200 students.

"Any aviation engineering training organisation in New Zealand delivering a curriculum leading to the award of an aircraft engineering licence must now hold a 147 certificate, so for our students it is another positive outcome for their qualification.

"New Zealand has been behind the aviation world by not providing a regulatory environment for aircraft maintenance training that aligns with international best practice."

Many businesses, some of them major international airlines, previously avoided New Zealand aircraft engineering graduates because of its different aviation standards, Heta said.

She said it was also likely to make the polytechnic's course more attractive to international students.

An Air New Zealand spokesperson congratulated NMIT on its Part 147 certification and said it was good news for the company's regional maintenance base in Nelson.

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ADELE REDMOND