BAE Systems is forming a joint venture with Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC) to treble its size and provide flight and other training to 1,000 students a year. The college has also reached an agreement with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in the USA to offer bachelor degree courses and eventually establish an Embry Riddle campus in Doha.
Qatar has the "highest growth in air transport in the region," says Simon Keith, BAE's Middle East managing director, and there is a large demand for pilots, air traffic controllers and airline executives; however, the college hopes to attract 70% of its students from outside the country.
The initiative was planned before tougher restrictions were imposed on overseas students training in the USA after the 11 September terrorist attacks and is one of several of its type to be set up in the region recently. In September, the Horizon International Flight Academy was launched in Abu Dhabi and will initially train 39 trainee pilots from military and paramilitary forces across the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Flight International
