There was a time when a career in aviation and hospitality was considered as high-flying as one could get. And then came the economic
slowdown, which not only floored the Sensex but also brought down many a flying aspiration crashing to the ground. However, if one is to believe the aviation academies in Nagpur, that period is over, and the boom that is catching back is almost audible.
As if that was not enough, here is another startling factor: boys seem to be waking up anew to the opportunity of a career in aviation as ground staff. In fact, the extent to which aviation is coming up, again, as a career option is exemplified by Sonali Wankhede, who was once a student at Kompass Aviation, but is now a student counsellor there!
"We currently have three diploma courses at our institute, one each for ground crew, cabin crew and customer service. The customer service management course is six months in duration, while the duration for the courses in ground staff and cabin crew are eight months and one year in duration respectively. We also conduct seminars from time to time, and end up recruiting 10 to 15 students every single time," she explains.
Akhil Agrawal, the managing director of College of International Management India also speaks in the similar vein. "The aviation sector had been hit a bit in the recent past, and that had shown in our student strength last year. However, things are getting back to normal now, but it would not be too prudent to think that the same boom will return in the twinkling of an eye," he explains.
"Currently, young aspirants have gotten it into their mind that aviation is no more as lucrative a career option as it was once, and it will take some time for them to get over that notion. Till then, we are trying our best to convince them that this is still a good way to enter the corporate world," Agrawal says.
Lata Murti, centre head for Frankfinn Aviation, further elaborates, "There was a time when Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines were not hiring too much, and that trend of their still continues, but in a much smaller magnitude. We offer courses in aviation, hospitality and travel, and, over the past one and a half months, have successfully placed 115 candidates in different organisations! That alone goes on to prove that there is no dearth of job opportunities in this sector."
And for those who might cringe that there is no degree in aviation, here is some more news. Among other institutes in the city, Avalon Aviation Academy offers a three-year degree course as the bachelor of business administration (BBA) in aviation, in addition to a one year MBA in aviation.
"We have successfully placed 64 of our students in the aviation sector alone in the past two months, not to mention another 200-odd students in the hospitality sector. We also offer courses in travel and tourism and airport management, and it is heartening to see that boys are taking an active interest in these courses, which have traditionally been seen as female-oriented courses in many circles," says Sunaina Shrivastava, a counsellor at the Avalon Aviation Academy.
slowdown, which not only floored the Sensex but also brought down many a flying aspiration crashing to the ground. However, if one is to believe the aviation academies in Nagpur, that period is over, and the boom that is catching back is almost audible.
As if that was not enough, here is another startling factor: boys seem to be waking up anew to the opportunity of a career in aviation as ground staff. In fact, the extent to which aviation is coming up, again, as a career option is exemplified by Sonali Wankhede, who was once a student at Kompass Aviation, but is now a student counsellor there!
"We currently have three diploma courses at our institute, one each for ground crew, cabin crew and customer service. The customer service management course is six months in duration, while the duration for the courses in ground staff and cabin crew are eight months and one year in duration respectively. We also conduct seminars from time to time, and end up recruiting 10 to 15 students every single time," she explains.
Akhil Agrawal, the managing director of College of International Management India also speaks in the similar vein. "The aviation sector had been hit a bit in the recent past, and that had shown in our student strength last year. However, things are getting back to normal now, but it would not be too prudent to think that the same boom will return in the twinkling of an eye," he explains.
"Currently, young aspirants have gotten it into their mind that aviation is no more as lucrative a career option as it was once, and it will take some time for them to get over that notion. Till then, we are trying our best to convince them that this is still a good way to enter the corporate world," Agrawal says.
Lata Murti, centre head for Frankfinn Aviation, further elaborates, "There was a time when Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines were not hiring too much, and that trend of their still continues, but in a much smaller magnitude. We offer courses in aviation, hospitality and travel, and, over the past one and a half months, have successfully placed 115 candidates in different organisations! That alone goes on to prove that there is no dearth of job opportunities in this sector."
And for those who might cringe that there is no degree in aviation, here is some more news. Among other institutes in the city, Avalon Aviation Academy offers a three-year degree course as the bachelor of business administration (BBA) in aviation, in addition to a one year MBA in aviation.
"We have successfully placed 64 of our students in the aviation sector alone in the past two months, not to mention another 200-odd students in the hospitality sector. We also offer courses in travel and tourism and airport management, and it is heartening to see that boys are taking an active interest in these courses, which have traditionally been seen as female-oriented courses in many circles," says Sunaina Shrivastava, a counsellor at the Avalon Aviation Academy.