June 25, 2021

Medicine Hat College (MHC) is excited to celebrate the first graduating class from its Aviation Management Certificate program.

Established in 2019 through a partnership with Super T Aviation, students are able to supplement Super T’s integrated flight training program with MHC courses in communication, workplace management and geography.

Nicholas Scott, MHC graduate, says that the program enhanced his knowledge and benefitted his commercial pilot’s license.

“Being able to complement my technical learning with the classroom courses shows prospective employers that I am eager to learn and interested in the aviation industry outside of flying. It’s also a good foundation which enables me to upgrade to a degree, opening up more job opportunities.”

Gary Busch, flight service specialist with NAV Canada and instructor at MHC, agrees that additional education is always a valuable tool.

“We had some new students and current pilots who took the program to expand their knowledge. One course I teach is meteorology, which not only prepares students for the Transport Canada Meteorology exam but also provides enhanced theory, real situations and encourages discussion about how the weather affects us.”

Busch mentions that although there was a downturn in the aviation sector since COVID-19 came on the scene, the job prospects are good.

“Since COVID-19 hit, many commercial pilots either changed careers or retired; which means many airlines are looking and hiring pilots now in anticipation of the post-pandemic pilot shortage. Pilots training and building their hours now are in a positive position to compete and capitalize on this opportunity.”

While navigating college courses, flight training and the pandemic was challenging at times, Scott says he learned important transferable skills that will serve him well into the future.

“The program required some time management, organization and collaboration in order to meet deadlines. I learned that things may not always go as planned but if you stick to what you’re passionate about, have some perseverance and make a solid plan, you can get through anything and reach your goals – whatever they may be.“

For Scott, that means aspiring to work on his King Air Type and instructor rating to become a flight instructor and finding employment with a major airline.

For more information on the aviation program visit www.mhc.ab.ca.