Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen warned on Wednesday that Maldives may face problems with an oversaturation of trained pilots and not enough jobs for all of them in the future.
In the first press conference held by the ministry during the current administration, the minister said that even though the previous administration had opened 400 slots for pilot training programs, these programs should be conducted with the demand in mind, especially if they are provided under the student loan program.
Last year, out of the 1,225 applicants who met the qualifications for higher education, 479 applicants applied for the pilot program. However, industry experts believe this was a significant mistake made by the previous administration.
Minister Ameen also noted that providing so many students the opportunity to train as pilots will be an issue for the country in the next one or two years. Ameen, who had held a high position with the Maldivian airline, said they would not have reached that point if political gain had been set aside.
He said that when so many students were given loans at once, around 200 local students were studying piloting in different countries. He pointed out that there were already around 65-70 pilots who had completed their education and failed to get employment afterwards.
The minister said no airline can operate only with basic pilot training or cadet pilots, adding that among the airlines in the country, cadet pilots are trained by the national carrier Maldivian Airlines and Trans Maldivian Airline (TMA). However, even when the two companies were averaged, the number of jobs did not cross 30, he said.
He said the industry averages on 6-7 percent growth.
"This could be a significant national issue," Minister Ameen said.
He noted that he is not aware of any Maldivian cadet being employed as a pilot abroad, and there is also a surplus of unemployed pilots overseas. Therefore, even if foreign countries were looking to hire pilots, they would prioritize their own citizens, he said.
Therefore, in the Maldives, they have to leverage the available opportunities to provide jobs. However, once these pilots gain sufficient experience, they are able to secure employment as captains abroad, he said.
"When they come back and are unable to find jobs, what then? These kinds of things should not be done without a very good plan. I do not think, for political reasons or other considerations, scholarships (student loans) should be granted without a well-thought-out plan," the minister said.
“This will create problems in the future.”
The ministry is currently discussing this matter further with higher education ministry as well.
He stated that this matter will be explained to students who had been nominated for the loan but have not yet started their training. If they wish to choose a different program, they will be given the opportunity to do so.
When Mihaaru News asked former Higher Education Minister Dr. Ibrahim Hassan why they had provided the opportunity for so many to pursue pilot training when there is not an equivalent demand for it in the job market, he responded that the record number of students studying to be pilots would improve the aviation industry. He emphasized that this would be a great asset in the future.
"The benefit of these policies can be reaped in the future. The work we do to build people will not be seen immediately. The work this administration does to develop people is to ensure that tomorrow’s future will be bright," he said.
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