The Civil Aviation Ministry has sought views from stakeholders on the recommendations of a detailed study that focused on skill development in the aviation sector, which is projected to create millions of jobs in the coming years.

The study, instituted by the Ministry, also comes at a time when the government is in advanced stages of finalising the much-awaited civil aviation policy.

Last year, ICRA Management Consultancy Services (IMaCS) was asked to carry out a comprehensive study on skill gap analysis in the civil aviation sector and also formulate future roadmap in this regard. IMaCS, which conducted the study during August-December 2015, has made a slew of recommendations to bolster skill development in various segments of the country’s fast-growing aviation sector.

The study has identified possible skill requirements in various segments, including the airport, airline maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), cargo and ground handling.

Among others, IMaCS has recommended setting up of a National Civil Aviation Training Authority and Cargo and Ground Handling Sector Skill Council. It has also suggested building a robust training and skill-building ecosystem through institutional strengthening, infrastructure and capacity planning as well as training process re-engineering and strengthening funding mechanism.

The Ministry has sought comments from the public on the draft report till February 26.

“With the vast number of human resources that are required 0.8 to 1 million people to be trained by 2035 there is an urgent need to augment the existing institutional framework that drives the skill building across various study segments,” the study said.

The current training ecosystem ensures that there are checks and balances that are created by the Ministry as well as by the associated organisations. However, such measures exist as a standalone approach to training as opposed to a unified common policy and standards to drive it forward, it added.