South African Airways (SAA) recently held the maiden edition of its Aviation Careers Day. The event was held to mark the annual Children’s Day Celebration with the aim of exposing secondary school youths to various career opportunities in the Aviation Industry while at the same time giving them a rare opportunity to meet and engage in discussions with the Management of the airline.
Addressing the children, SAA’s Country Manager, Mrs. Kemi Leke-Bamtefa said; “Today we celebrate you, we value your essence and contribution to our society at large. At SAA, we promise to carry you along in our journey to sustainability. Part of our effort in empowering our children is the SAA Secondary School Essay Competition and now the maiden edition of the SAA Aviation Career day for our children in Nigeria.”
Speaking further, Mrs. Leke-Bamtefa stressed; “Our approach is targeted at improving the children’s access to resources and to transform their consciousness through their beliefs, values, and attitudes. One of such access is this forum to showcase the career opportunities within our industry. We have airline industry experts in our midst today ready to share experiences and mentor our young people”
Several industry professionals shared their experiences and gave insights into their various professions while also taking questions and offering answers to the students. They include; First Officer Paul Adebayo, an Airline Pilot with United Nigeria Airlines; Mrs. Kate Nnana-Ibemgbo, DGM, Air Traffic Management, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Mrs. Victoria Adegbe, an Aircraft Dispatcher and MD, Aviatrix Hub; and Mrs. Morounke Babalola, Cabin Services Manager, United Nigeria Airlines.
Others are Miss Annabel Elueni, Cabin Crew, ANAP Business Jets Ltd; Mr. Adetayo Oluwafemi Adetola, Head of Agency, Interguide Air Limited; Mrs. Abimbola Aneke, GM, ALML Travels & Tours; Mrs. Mary Odimgbe, Supervisor, Ticketing & Reservation, SAA; and Mr. Pelumi Adebiyi, Finance Executive, SAA.
In the same vein, the SAA Country Manager highlighted the Africa Day Celebration which coincided with the Youth Day event. “Today is Africa Day, We all have so much to learn about our beautiful continent. As an African carrier, our expansion strategy is currently focused on Africa. Truly IT IS TIME FOR AFRICA. We recently introduced additional routes such as Lilongwe, Blantyre, Victoria falls and Windhoek in Namibia.” she remarked.
Present at the forum were students from Abiolu Comprehensive College, Igando; Abesan Senior High School, Abesan Estate, Ipaja; Command Day Secondary School (CDSS), Ikeja Cantonment, Maryland; and St. Finnbarr’s College, Akoka, Yaba all in Lagos.
SAA currently flies 3 flights a week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays out of the new terminal 2 at MMIA.
