Dragonair Youth Aviation Academy aviation career workshop opens the door to aviation world for students

(HONG KONG) Dragonair gave students a better understanding of the careers available in aviation today when it held at a special workshop at its headquarters complex under the Dragonair Youth Aviation Academy banner.

The airline invited several industry partners to introduce various areas of the aviation industry, and the career opportunities available, to more than 100 students from 20 local institutions and educational programmes. Participating organisations included Cathay Pacific Services Limited (CPSL), LSG Lufthansa Service HK Ltd (LSG) and Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd (HAS).

The workshop included a trip to the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal, operated by CPSL, which, with a designed annual throughput of 2.6 million tonnes, is the newest facility of its kind in Hong Kong. Students saw the special features of the terminal and hi-tech systems such as a dedicated zone to support fast transhipment handling, which the minimum connection time is reduced from eight hours to five hours. They also visited the terminal control centre and different handling centres for various special types of cargo including cars, horses and perishable cargo such as flowers and seafood.

LSG currently provides airline catering services for more than 30 clients and prepares 30,000 meals on average per day. LSG operates an advanced, large-scale catering production facility that has large capacity food steamers, pressure boilers with 300 litres capacity, electric frying machine for over 14 kg of food and mega size frying pots, as well as fully equipped kitchens that can handle a variety of cuisines including Japanese, Chinese and Western. The students’ tour gave them a better understanding of the processes involved in inflight meal production and the division of labour in different areas such as food preparation and packing.

HAS arranged a Ramp and Passenger Services Operation familiarisation tour to the students. At the Load Control Section, students saw how HAS staff apply their professional knowledge to calculate cargo and passenger volumes to ensure aircraft safety. They experienced passenger handling processes at the check-in counters, and how ground handling agents loading all kinds of baggage, cargo and mail onto the aircraft systematically on the apron. In addition, the students also observed at close quarters the operation of the airbridge for passenger embarkation and disembarkation.

Student Choi Hiu Lam from Hospitality Industry Training and Development Centre said: “I have always wanted to join the aviation industry and today I received a lot of information about the different opportunities available along with interview tips from various organisations and visits to airport facilities. The workshop helped to broaden my horizons and leave me better prepared for my job search.”

Dr. Raymond Kan, Lecturer of Higher Diploma in Airfreight Management and Global Logistics of The Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE Tsing Yi) said: “There is little chance for us to visit the airport restricted area or explore an organisation’s internal operations together with the students. With representatives from different aviation organisations on hand to brief the students, they were able to get a much better understanding of the nature of various aviation roles which will make it easier for them to identify their career path after graduation.”

The Dragonair Youth Aviation Academy is one of the key Corporate Social Responsibility programmes run by the airline. It was set up in 2011 to provide a professional platform through which youngsters can learn about the world of aviation. Through various activities such as career talks covering different areas within the industry such as aircraft engineering and cabin crew services, the Academy aims to nurture future talents to ensure the continued success of Hong Kong’s aviation industry.

Visit www.dragonair.com/aviationacademy for more information about Dragonair Youth Aviation Academy activities.