SINGAPORE – As the Asia Pacific region faces an estimated need of 253,000 new pilots over the next 20 years, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has teamed with Singapore Airlines to provide a one-of-a-kind, joint-campus, two-continent degree program to provide flight training for the first time to its Embry-Riddle Asia campus students and secure job opportunities upon completion.
Announced this week during the 2018 Singapore Airshow at the Changi Exhibition Centre, Embry-Riddle’s new Flight Minor will allow students to fulfill academic requirements for their Bachelor’s in Aeronautics (BSA) degree at the Embry-Riddle Asia Campus in Singapore and then spend their final year in the United States at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus as part of an accelerated flight training program to earn the required flight time, instrument rating and certification.
Upon successful completion of the flight training and possession of a Commercial Pilot’s License (CPL) with instrument and multi-engine ratings, they will return to Singapore to complete the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) licensing requirements and be ready for potential employment with Singapore Airlines.
“Up until now, we have been able to provide the academics and curriculum but not the required physical flight time and certifications here in Singapore. Through the coordination of our sister campus in the United States with its large training aircraft fleet and top-notch instructors coupled with the generous commitment by Singapore Airlines to offer job interviews to the students upon completion, it’s a win-win for everyone,” said Dr. John R. Watret, Chancellor of Embry-Riddle Worldwide and Chairman of the Embry-Riddle Asia Board of Directors. “Our students will get this unique, two-campus, hands-on study abroad experience and the aviation industry will be able to start meeting those growing needs for highly educated and experienced pilots.”
Scheduled to launch in June 2018, four students from the Embry-Riddle Asia campus will be selected to participate in the launch of the Flight Minor.
“We are delighted to support this exciting new Flight Minor by leveraging our world-class flight training program with the superb academic experience the students receive in Singapore. We are confident that students prepared through our combined resources will be in high demand in Asia’s commercial aviation industry,” said Dr. Alan Stolzer, Dean of the College of Aviation at the Daytona Beach Campus.
According to Boeing’s “Pilot Outlook 2017-2036,” commercial and regional airlines across the globe are expanding their fleets and flight schedules to satisfy demand generated by global economic expansion. In turn, this has spawned an immediate need for qualified, skilled, and experienced pilots internationally. Over the next 20 years, the Asia Pacific region will lead the worldwide growth in demand for pilots, with a requirement for 253,000 new pilots. North America will follow with a required 117,000, Europe 106,000, the Middle East 63,000, Latin America 52,000, Africa 24,000 and CIS/Russia 22,000.
“Singapore Airlines has always been a strong supporter of education, and we are very pleased to team up with Embry-Riddle to provide us with a potential new source for qualified pilots. said Singapore Airlines’ Senior Vice President Flight Operations, Capt. Quay Chew Eng. “The partnership will help support our growth in the years ahead, and complement our own cadet pilot training which is carried out through our subsidiary company, Singapore Flying College.”
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE ASIA
Embry-Riddle Asia, based in Singapore and launched in January 2011, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as online programs through academic and business partnerships in Asia. As a part of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide Campus and in association with the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA), Embry-Riddle Asia offers part-time, blended-delivery graduate programs specifically for working professionals as well as part-time and full-time undergraduate and graduate degrees for students looking to earn their bachelor’s and master’s degree while working or before entering the workforce through a partnership with ERC Institute. Degrees conferred in Singapore carry the same accreditation and industry recognition as Embry-Riddle’s residential campuses in the United States, and locally are approved by the Committee for Private Education (a division of the Ministry of Education) for delivery through ERC Institute. For more information, go to asia.erau.edu or follow on Twitter (@ERAUasia) and Facebook at facebook.com/EmbryRiddleAsia.
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE WORLDWIDE
Embry-Riddle Worldwide serves more than 23,000 students online and at 125 campuses in the United States and globally including 17,000 active-duty and student veterans. The university’s tradition of educating service members began in 1970 at Fort Rucker in Alabama and has grown to include base locations in Europe, the Middle East, Singapore, Japan and South Korea.
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation, aerospace, engineering and related degree programs. The university is also a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. A nonprofit, independent institution, Embry-Riddle offers more than 80 baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. The university educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos atYouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
