“If you only want to be an aircraft mechanic, a diploma and EASA certification will be sufficient. But if you want to move into upper management and supervisory roles, having a degree will help. Also, much of the work is very complex. If you really want to secure your future, then do both EASA and a degree I never hire people on the short term. I always look at how they can move forward with the industry.”said Paul

“This is a boom industry. I have been involved in it for over 35 years and it has only ever been growing, save for a dip in 2001. Over the next decade, the number of commercial aircraft will grow by more than 40% resulting in a great demand of aircraft maintenance engineers,”said Paul when he recently officiated the signing of an agreement by KLM UK Engineering and Nilai University for the provision of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) material and the conduct of the European Air Safety Authority (EASA) B1 an B2 examinations at Nilai University.

“The VLE is in addition to the normal lectures, tutorials and practical sessions that we already offer. Combining the VLE from KLM UK Engineering with the exceptional facilities at Nilai University will give our students an even better learning experience” explained Professor Datuk Dr Sothi Rachagan, Vice Chancellor of Nilai University.

Simon Rhodes, the Head of KLM UKE Technical College is effusive of the benefits of the VLE. “The VLE consists of course materials, quizzes, and forums. Students will also be able to interact with KLM UKE instructors in the UK. So if they don’t understand any particular part of a subject or lesson, they can ask questions. Our instructors will post textual responses or videos.”

“A key benefit of the VLE is that it allows students to share knowledge among themselves. They can ask each other questions and this helps with their social learning and this is where the VLE becomes really powerful.”

“The VLE is broken down into chapters and there are quizzes at the end of each chapter. Students put in their answers and the VLE will tell them if the answers are correct or wrong. This allows for self-assessment. Students can use forums if they are not sure of a concept, they can post questions for instructors, who will help them better understand. Students can also post pictures and create their own learning space. The VLE is powerful in the sense that it allows for social learning and tailors to a generation which is used to using social media platforms.”