Interesting.
I'd like to ask a few questions.
If the bursary system failed, who's fault is it really? The DCA front up with the money? If so, then why have they failed? Why has the blame not fallen on those who have failed to achieve the desired results?
You are dreaming if you think that a company such as Air Namibia can afford simulators and training costs associated with training pilots from scratch to sit in the right hand seat of a Airbus.
I also don't believe in putting these huge safety nets for pilots who have a sense of entitlement. It produces average pilots of average skills who do enough to get by.
Guys that who have to work hard to get to where they are, usually have a strong work ethic and have put in the hard yards in their training.
What I say next does not apply to all of the guys coming through. There is some really good guys and I have appreciated the time that I spent working with them, however, for the majority...
There is a lack of respect between Namibians and the "European" operators.
"Give me a job, and with a fast upgrade and I am only here until Air Namibia hires me anyway" sets up a very dangerous safety culture with the company.
The guys have no respect for the chief pilot or what they tell them, planes are usually treated with disrespect, and the guys don't care if they mess up because they know if they get fired, that they will get labour involved and end up getting a nice settlement.
Nevermind the economic costs to the operators with the cost of training, having planes short of crews when guys leave, and good luck in trying to recover a bond.
We had guys showing up saying "I will work for you, but only on the Caravan."
Oh, ok, and tell me how a turbine works again? Met with a blank stare.
A humble local guy with a good attitude and knows his stuff, will always be hired over an expat. There is no waiting around and can go straight into working. The average wait time for a permit can be anywhere between a month right up to 3 months. It makes economic sense to hire a guy who can go straight onto the plane and be checked to the line within a month.