05 July 2023
The Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) and the World Citi Colleges (WCC) are partnering with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to produce world-class Filipino aircraft maintenance specialists and avionics technicians for the domestic and international aviation industry.
PhilSCA President Marwin Dela Cruz, WCC President Patrick Guico, and BCIT President Paul McCollough launched the joint program through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in the presence of CHED Chairman Popoy De Vera and DFA Consul General in Vancouver Arlene Magno during the British Columbia Council International Education Week 2023 Conference in Victoria, BC, Canada.
This MOA is a result of the CHED initiated project entitled “Twinning and Training Program for a ladderized Diploma Program in Aircraft Maintenance Technology” that leads to a Bachelor’s Degree in Aircraft Technology between PhilSCA, WCC and BCIT.
This initiative is a response to the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for educational institutions to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs.
The twinning and training program on Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) and Aviation Electronics Technology (AET) Curricula between PhilSCA, the WCC and BCIT will result in a globally benchmarked curriculum and pedagogy and improve the competencies on PHILSCA and WCC graduates. The Philippine Air Force extends its facilities to both academic institutions and will participate in the training programs at the sprawling campus of BCIT in Vancouver, Canada.
PhilSCA and WCC will also be able to recruit multiple cohorts of talented students from the Philippines for BCIT’s AME Diploma Program. The program will be jointly delivered by PhilSCA and BCIT, allowing students to complete their studies both in the Philippines and Canada.
The graduates of this program will have both Philippine and Canadian credentials that will support the continuing growth of the airline industry in the Philippines and the Asian region.
De Vera witnessed the ceremonial signing after delivering his presentation on the internationalization and transnational opportunities in the Philippines and urging the Canadian, Vietnamese and Thai HEIs to take advantage of the opportunities in student and faculty mobility, joint programs, and university to university linkages available in the country.
“This MOA signing is timely as we celebrate the first year of the Marcos administration and a response to his call to produce world-class graduates that can practice their profession all over the world,” De Vera said.
“CHED’s presence here today is the manifestation of our deep interest in further strengthening our close bilateral relationship with Canada in promoting the internationalization of HEIs and a signal that the Philippines is open for business for universities that are interested in transnational education,” he added.
Guico and Dela Cruz also expressed their gratitude to CHED and BCIT for making this milestone into reality.
“The partnership between WCC and BCIT will produce internationally recognized graduates that will elevate the Philippines as Asia’s choice for aircraft maintenance. We thank the leadership of President Marcos and CHED Chairman De Vera and commit the full support of WCC for this project,” Guico said.
“We thank BCIT for their generosity and warm welcome. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the PhilSCA Board of Trustees for their unwavering support, the PhilSCA Management Team, and the PhilSCA-BCIT Project Team. Their dedication, tireless efforts, and hard work have been instrumental in making this partnership a reality,” Dela Cruz said.
A public polytechnic institute in Burnaby, BCIT Aerospace Technology campus is located in Richmond, BC, and is Canada’s largest aerospace technology school providing human capital resources to the aviation industry in British Columbia.
WCC is a private post-secondary network with five campuses in Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Quezon City, Caloocan and Pangasinan. They offer programs in allied health and tourism, business and information technology, hospitality and management, criminology and education, aside from their aviation programs offered at their Aeronautical and Technological College.
The PHILSCA is a state college in the Philippines mandated by law to provide education for aeronautical sciences and other related fields, and provides training to the Philippine Air Force.
(SIGNED)
J. PROSPERO E. DE VERA III, DPA
Chairman
Commission on Higher Education and UniFAST Board
Philippines