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By rdnewsNOW Staff

$900,000 TO ELEVATE AVIATION

Government funding to help VR aviation training technology take off

Sep 20, 2024 | 4:30 PM

The Government of Alberta is awarding $900,000 to Elevate Aviation to benefit aviation training across Alberta in an effort to address predicted gaps in the aviation labour market in coming years.

The money is to be awarded through the Workforce Strategies Grant to address estimates from Transport Canada that the aviation sector will be short 42,000-55,000 workers from 2025 to 2035.

The funding is intended to fuel the creation of a Virtual Reality (VR) Aviation Maintenance Training System to address the workforce shortages through innovation.

“This investment marks a new era in aviation training. With this $900,000 grant, we are not only funding a project, we are also investing in the future of our aviation workforce. The VR Training System represents a game-changing approach that will fast-track the development of highly skilled aviation professionals while helping to address critical workforce shortages,” says Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade Matt Jones.

Officials expect Elevate Aviation’s VR training system to “revolutionize” how aviation maintenance is taught. It uses immersive VR technology to create life-like training environments so users can perfect their skills in a risk-free setting. It is expected this approach should accelerate learning and give graduates the experience they need to be industry-ready on day one.

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The Workforce Strategies Grant initiative aims to broaden access to high-quality training, including for rural and Indigenous communities, in an effort to foster a more diverse and inclusive aviation workforce.

The VR training system will be located in Edmonton with the ability for it to be used anywhere with an internet connection. Officials say the project is unique to Canada and that training modules can be used for foundational training, industry onboarding, competency testing and recurrent training, which is new to the aviation sector.

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