Riyadh College of Excellent

Online, May 3, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The College will be located at a purpose built facility located at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. This facility includes a comprehensive hangar and aircraft maintenance training environment. Training will commence in September 2014 with an annual intake of 500 students who will undertake a 3 year course of training, graduating with qualifications that will enable employment in aviation aircraft maintenance and support roles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Aviation Australia Riyadh College of Excellence leverages Aviation Australia's existing expertise in Aircraft Maintenance Engineer training at its existing campuses in Brisbane and Cairns. Established in 2001, Aviation Australia has been delivering internationally recognised qualifications in aircraft maintenance engineering for a range of international and domestic customers including Qantas, Virgin Australia, Emirates, Etihad and Air Asia along with a number of Saudi Arabian clients including the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The Chief Executive Officer of Aviation Australia, Mr Bill Horrocks, said "This is the culmination of a comprehensive tender selection process by the Colleges of Excellence. Our global experience and reputation in aviation training including training students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were seen as key discriminators in the selection process. We are very proud to be provided the opportunity to develop such an important capability for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we look forward to working closely with the aviation industry in the Kingdom to ensure the training meets their needs and ensure our graduates gain employment"

The Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek MP congratulated Aviation Australia on its successful tender to establish an Aviation College of Excellence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and thanked the Saudi Arabian Colleges of Excellence for the partnership.

"For more than 90 years, Queensland has been at the forefront of the country's aviation industry and the Aviation Australia partnership with the Saudi Arabian Colleges of Excellence further recognises the exemplary education our state provides," Mr Langbroek said.

"This is an exciting partnership for Aviation Australian and the Queensland Government, further strengthening our relationship with our international neighbours and providing significant benefits to the Queensland economy."

Aviation Australia is a leading supplier of aviation and aerospace training in both the Australian and international markets, providing graduates with the skills and training in aviation quality, safety and environmental standards to successfully gain employment in the industry globally. Over the next five years, up to 2500 Saudi Arabian students will receive aviation training at the new Aviation Australia Riyadh College of Excellence facility.