Manitoba post-secondary school, airline team up to train, hire Inuit pilots

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/06/2023 (868 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTERBURNE — A program to train and employ Inuit pilots is preparing for takeoff amid a nationwide labour shortage.

Providence University College and Canadian North declared their partnership Thursday. Graduates of a new degree program at the Otterburne-based school will automatically be offered a job with Canadian North, an airline that services northern Canada.

“We have communities across the North that need access to the legal system, food supply, all kinds of things,” said Kenton Anderson, president of Providence University College. “These people depend on the ability to fly.”

Having an adequate number of pilots is “particularly critical” in Canada, he added.

The Christian post-secondary in the RM of De Salaberry, about 50 kilometres south of Winnipeg, is Manitoba’s only institution offering aviation degrees. It’s worked with Harv’s Air, a flight school in Steinbach and St. Andrews, for four decades.

University leaders began envisioning a way to direct pilots to the North but needed an industry partner, Anderson said.

“For us to build a program and kind of hope they come was not going to be effective,” he noted.

Providence began talks with Canadian North several weeks ago. The airliner requires more staff, said president Michael Rodyniuk.

“We have a significant amount of turnover, so we need to make sure we have a constant supply coming in,” he stated.

Many of the company’s 248 pilots are preparing for retirement; others find jobs with different airliner or switch career paths, Rodyniuk said, adding turnover ranges from 20 to 25 per cent annually.

The wholly Inuit-owned airline could use another 25 to 30 pilots for its fleet of approximately three dozen planes, he said.

“With COVID, we have a huge gap of pilots that were going through training,” he said. “There’s, like, this bubble in the line.”

“With COVID, we have a huge gap of pilots that were going through training… There’s, like, this bubble in the line.”–Canadian North CEO Michael Rodyniuk

When a partnership with Providence University College presented itself, it made sense — and the two entities’ values aligned, Rodyniuk said.

“We want to make sure that the people… flying throughout the North are the people from the North, and that they have an opportunity,” he said. “It’s a real hand up (for them).”

Currently, roughly 10 per cent of Canadian North’s pilots are Inuit.

The company, which flies from coast to coast and to Ellesmere Island — Canada’s northernmost point — will scout students for the program, including internally — perhaps a Canadian North baggage handler or flight attendant — and through Inuit organizations.

Three people from Canadian North will choose students for the program.

“We literally have the entire region across the Arctic to identify high-potential individuals,” said Rodyniuk.

The course doesn’t yet have a set number of seats available, but organizers expect courses to start this fall.

Providence University College offers several aviation programs. Inuit scholars will likely take the three- or four-year degree route with the option to double major in business administration, organizers say.

Anna Mondor, Providence’s vice-president of external relations, is working out funding with Ottawa. A three-year degree might cost $120,000 per student, but $75,000 could be covered through a federal grant, Mondor said.

Canadian North and Providence are also working with provincial governments and third-party organizations for funding to reduce the cost each student pays.

“It’s very expensive, but the demand for jobs is incredible right now,” Mondor said. “Commercial pilots are in such high demand.”

A 2018 Canadian Council for Aviation and Aerospace report found Canada needed an additional 7,300 pilots by 2025. The information came out before the pandemic began.

Canada now needs 8,000 new pilots, a press release Canadian North and Providence University College circulated Thursday said.

“It’s demanding, it’s technically challenging, and flying airplanes — you’ve got to do it right,” said Anderson.

“It’s demanding, it’s technically challenging, and flying airplanes — you’ve got to do it right.”–Kenton Anderson, president of Providence University College

Students spend 200 hours in planes before receiving their three-year aviation degree, said Adam Penner, owner of Harv’s Air. Trainees fly in Steinbach and St. Andrews.

Graduates walk away with a commercial airplane licence and will meet the standard of a Canadian Integrated Airline Transport Pilots Licence.

Inuit students will learn skills specific to operating in the North.

“You can imagine, when you get close to the North Pole, your magnetic compass doesn’t work anymore,” Rodyniuk noted.

The northern lights can play havoc with radio instrumentation, he added.

Canadian North will search for its first batch of students this summer. Providence University College will likely house the northerners during their studies, employees said.

Both organizations will work to make Manitoba living comfortable and provide trips home, they said.

Religious courses will consume a small portion of the general requirements, said Nicholas Greco, the university’s provost.

“We want to make sure our education is open to everyone who wants an education,” he said.

The post-secondary school has an English requirement, which shouldn’t be an obstacle; Inuit students who’ve graduated high school often speak English, noted Shelly De Caria, Canadian North’s associate vice-president of sales.

This partnership may be the first of many for Providence.

“We’re nimble, we’re hungry, (and) we’re interested, particularly, in this employer-faced kind of education in order to not just educate people in a general sense, but… in ways that result in real world effects,” said Anderson.

The school is also developing a bachelor of science program in aviation.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com