Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata STRIVE, a skill development initiative of Tata Trusts, and the Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC) to train youth for aviation and aerospace jobs.

AASSC is the apex body in skill development in aerospace and aviation sector under the aegis of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

The MoU was signed by Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia,  Anita Rajan, CEO – Tata STRIVE and Wg Cdr Rachit Bhatnagar CEO, AASSC in the presence of Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International, Sandeep Patnaik, Director, AASSC and Chetan S, Head Operations, AASSC. Under the partnership, Airbus, Tata STRIVE and and AASSC with support of NSDC & Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will work together to build a pipeline of talent in the aerospace sector, focusing on providing opportunities to the youth.

"India is looking at exponential growth in every facet of the aerospace and aviation ecosystem. This is fueling the demand for aerospace jobs and with it the growing need for relevant skills. We believe that India's strength lies in its talent and we are deeply invested in nurturing the youth and equipping them with the right skills that will meet this growing demand and also prepare them for the jobs that will shape the future of aerospace in the country. This collaboration is a step forward in achieving this ambition," said Rémi Maillard, President and MD of Airbus India & South Asia.

"The high growth Indian aviation sector will witness demand for skilled personnel and Tata STRIVE is keen to be well positioned to leverage the opportunity to enable these jobs for the youth we work with. The partnership with Airbus and Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council brings together complementary strengths of the organisations in a model that builds a talent pool for the sector while helping youth fulfil their aspirations and build careers in aviation." said Anita Rajan, CEO – Tata STRIVE.

"India is already the third biggest domestic aviation market in the world and is progressing on the path to take a spot of third biggest aviation market overall. Make in India and Skill India can be considered as two sides of the same coin. Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council (AASSC) promoted by HAL, SIATI & BCIC, an apex body in the aerospace and aviation skill ecosystem formed under NSDC and MSDE will enable the youth to get re-skilled and up-skilled in the aspiring areas of airport operations, airlines, ground handling, aerospace manufacturing and drone technology as well. Our endeavour will be to make India a Global Skill Hub in this domain in the coming years ." said Wg Cdr Rachit Bhatnagar, CEO of AASSC.

The three entities will form a joint working group to explore skilling in areas such as  airport operations, flight training, engineering and maintenance as well as for workforce requirements for safety of aircraft and airports. The organisations will leverage their existing flagship centres to deliver available courses and also look at updating required curriculum. In addition, the three partners will also look for synergies with other aviation companies to explore their support on skilling in drones operation and MROs.