Firstly no I have not been cut from QANTAS selection process.
How can QANTAS send out 1000's of letters each year to aspiring pilots saying 'Due to the large number of applicants you are not sufficently competitive' and then to offer to pay the way for a particular segment of the community to complete flying training??
Also considering that one of the questions on the QF selection sheet is tell them what difficulties you have overcome to get where you are now, how could you justify such a scheme??
The other issue here is that these guys that QF are paying for will not be seen by the greater Aboriginal Population. If QF were serious about indigenous employment then these Pilots would be sent into communities where they can encourage other aboriginal people to get education and offer them some hope and get the young fellas out of petrol sniffing etc. Paying for an aboriginal guy to sit in the RH seat of a Metro for a year then to go into the back seat of a 747, will not do a great deal for encouraging other aboriginal people to go somewhere with their lives.
From what I have seen of aboriginal employment schemes they are mearly "trophies" that companies can hold up and do nothing for the greater aboriginal population as the people who get the jobs generally don't want to go and work in the bush where most the aboriginal population lives!! The same problem occurs in other industries and is not limited to just flying.
2006 QANTAS INDIGENOUS CADET PILOT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Is your goal to be an Airline Pilot?
Qantas are seeking suitable Indigenous applicants to be considered for the 2006 Qantas Indigenous Cadet Pilot Scholarship Program. Qantas has introduced the Indigenous Cadet Pilot Scholarship Program to encourage aspiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to pursue a career in the aviation industry. The scholarship will be run in conjunction with the 2006 Qantas Cadet Pilot Training Program. Qantas will fund the flight training and accommodation costs for one successful Aboriginal and/or Torres Straight Islander Level 2 Cadet applicant during the training phase of the Program.
To be eligible, scholarship applicants must meet the Cadet Pilot Minimum Criteria. In addition applicants must be assessed as competitive during each stage of the selection process, as set out in the Cadet Selection Process Briefing Sheet. Applicants wishing to apply for the Indigenous Cadet Pilot Scholarship Program should indicate this on page one of the Cadet application form. The successful scholarship applicant will be notified on 27 January, 2006.
The Qantas Cadet Pilot Training Program is designed to equip successful graduates with the skills, qualifications and experience required for possible future entry into Qantas as a Second Officer.
Cadet pilots are not employees of Qantas and Qantas gives no guarantee or commitment of future employment at any time after completion of the training program.
The Qantas Cadet Pilot Training Program is comprised of two phases:
· A training phase including a full-time theory and flight training course at a participating Flight Training Organisation.
· A post-training phase involving compulsory flying employment experience under the Cadet Industry Placement Program (CIPP).
To apply for the 2006 Cadet Pilot Training Program you must print out and complete the Cadet application form. Your application should be posted to the address indicated on the form. In order for your application to be accepted it is essential that you include all supporting documentation requested on the form.
All applications must be postmarked by 5pm (local time) 30 September 2005, or be hand delivered or faxed by 5pm (AEST) on 30 September 2005.
Application forms and further information for the 2006 Cadet Pilot Training Program can be found on the Qantas website:
www.qantas.com.au/info/about/employment/pilots.
For further information on the Qantas Indigenous Cadet Pilot Scholarship Program contact Mick Coombes, Indigenous Programs Adviser on 03 8696 2169 or
[email protected].