Goldstar Airlines, a private Ghanaian airline company, is to roll out a training programme for its cabin crew workers after a recruitment exercise, which would field mostly suitably qualified Ghanaians.
“The company as part of efforts to indigenise its airline operations will engage and rely on Ghanaians to man the aircraft which will touch down in no time,” Mr John Ashong-Mettle, the Public Relations Officer, said in Accra.
He added: “Towards this end, the airline will roll out a scheme to invite applications from suitably qualified Ghanaians to apply for the position of cabin crew to take care of the passengers on the aircraft in flight.
“The objective of the airline is to promote and protect the interests of Ghanaians, in view of this, Goldstar airlines, will roll out special programmes tailored to the needs of the aviation and tourism sectors”.
Mr Ashong-Mettle told the Ghana News Agency that the company would deliver promptly on its promise of getting Ghanaians and other nationals to the earmarked destinations-London-Gatwick, Baltimore-Washington and Guangzhou-China, and connecting them to some of the West African countries with the view to promoting and building national network.
He assured Ghanaians of the airline’s commitment to work actively to promote national network and unity of purpose, promising that as a local host, it would open up possibilities to get a feel of Ghanaian.
“The company’s pride and joy will be to empower and equip the Ghanaian to pursue economic ventures in the aviation and tourism sectors,” Mr Ashong-Mettle said.
He announced that the company is flying down a cream of experts to train those who would make the grade after the interviewing exercise to put them through their paces to learn the tricks of the trade.
He added that when the airline company gets off the ground it would rely on expatriates as the cockpit crew but would unfold a tailor-made course of study to be undertaken by some Ghanaians who would be sent abroad to train to in order to get or have a handle on piloting the Boeing 767 series, which Goldstar airlines would be using.
After the training, the trainees would do a period of apprenticeship with the expatriate pilots to get hands-on experience and knowledge in line with the company’s plan of replacing the foreign pilots with Ghanaians.
Mr Ashong-Mettle said the company is ready to respond to persistent call on individuals and corporate bodies to partner government in reducing and eliminating the unemployment canker in the country.