The aviation industry is blaming student loan restrictions for New Zealand’s looming pilot shortage, warning that only young Kiwis with financial backing from their families can realistically afford pilot training.
In its findings published last week, the Aviation Industry Association of New Zealand (AIANZ) and the Ringa Hora Services Workforce Development Council revealed that New Zealand needs (on average) 100 more pilots annually.
It warned that the gap between workforce supply and demand will grow by 2-3% each year if no changes are made to New Zealand’s tertiary policies.
Association chief executive Simon Wallace said that the high cost of pilot training is locking students out.
Read the full article on NZ HERALD here“A major disincentive at the supply end is the cap on student loan borrowing for domestic students that has been set at $35,000 per year since 2013. Back then government agreed to review the cap but this has not occurred.”
NZ Herald // Varsha Anjali // Multimedia Journalist 23 October 2024
See also: Media Release 17 October 2024