NMIT and NZAero to expand aviation engineering training into Hamilton

The initiative responds to warnings from industry leaders that the growing skills gap could constrain maintenance capacity, aircraft manufacturing and the expansion of New Zealand’s multi-million-dollar aerospace export sector.

NMIT and NZAero will establish the country’s largest industry-based aviation engineering training initiative of its kind at NZAero’s Waikato manufacturing facility.

Latest industry workforce projections show New Zealand will need around 4,500 aviation engineers by 2034, up from approximately 3,000 today, requiring the sector to increase its engineering capacity by about 50% over the next eight years.

Modelling prepared for the Aviation Industry Association and the former Services Workforce Development Council, Ringa Hora, estimates the existing shortage at around 500 engineers, with the gap between supply and demand growing by an average of 7% a year. Demand for engineers is forecast to increase by around 2% to 3% annually, compared with about 1% growth across the wider New Zealand labour force.

The modelling projects the number of new entrants to the aviation engineering workforce will grow by an average of around 1.4% a year, while those exiting will increase by about 3%, further widening the skills gap.

NMIT chief executive Dr Caroline Seelig says the widening gap has implications across the aviation sector.

“We are not bringing people into the industry fast enough to replace those leaving, let alone provide the additional engineers we will need as aviation grows.

“At the same time, every major aviation market is competing for the same people, which means experienced engineers are becoming harder and more expensive to recruit from overseas. 

“If we don’t increase the number coming through, we are going to see pressure on maintenance capacity, aircraft potentially spending longer out of service and aviation businesses reaching limits on how much work they can take on,” she says.

NZAero chief executive Stephen Burrows says the scale of the engineering workforce required to support aviation is often underestimated.

“As a broad industry rule of thumb, four engineers are required to support each pilot and the aircraft they operate.

“The workforce we will need later this decade depends on the training decisions being made now and, for companies like NZAero, the shortage is already becoming a direct constraint on growth.

“We are expanding into international markets, but winning export orders is only part of the equation. We also need enough skilled people in New Zealand to build the aircraft and support them once they are in service.”

The Hamilton initiative will expand NMIT’s specialist aviation engineering training into the North Island, where a significant share of prospective student demand is now being generated.

NMIT has delivered aviation engineering education for more than 20 years and is a Civil Aviation Authority-approved Part 147 training provider, with its specialist aviation programmes traditionally concentrated in Nelson and Marlborough.

The new programme will operate from NZAero’s Hamilton site, where the company designs, manufactures, maintains and modifies aircraft for customers in New Zealand and overseas.

Once fully established, the initiative is expected to contribute to the training of up to 230 aviation engineering students annually across New Zealand.

Stephen says locating the programme inside a working aircraft manufacturing operation will give students direct exposure to the environment in which their skills will be used, while creating a potential source of future recruits for the company.

“There is a real advantage in training people alongside an operating aircraft manufacturing business because they can see how the skills they are learning are applied in practice.

“It also gives us the opportunity to identify and develop people who could ultimately move into roles within our factory as we expand production.

“The benefit extends beyond NZAero because these are skills that are in demand across aircraft manufacturing, maintenance and the wider aviation industry.”

Caroline says expanding aviation engineering training into Hamilton will give more North Island students access to specialist education while responding to a long-term workforce need.

She says the training model will give students exposure to the equipment, processes and standards used in aircraft production and maintenance, while creating scope for existing aviation workers to undertake further training.

“New Zealand has a clear need for more aviation engineers and increasing the training pipeline is essential if the sector is going to meet future demand.

“Much of NMIT’s specialist aviation engineering provision has historically been based in the South Island, while a significant proportion of prospective student interest is now coming from the North Island.