The Prince George Airport kicked off the annual BC Aviation Council Conference, being held in the northern capital this week, with the announcement of a new scholarship for Indigenous students across Canada.
The award, named after Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan, is worth $3,000 and will be handed out to one Indigenous Student from anywhere in Canada, who is studying within the aviation field in BC, every year.
Lheidli T’enneh Chief Dolleen Logan stated “I am honoured on behalf of our nation to have this new BC Aviation Council scholarship in my name. The creation of this scholarship to support an Indigenous person from across Canada who wants to have a career in the aviation and aerospace industry is a sincere gesture of Truth and Reconciliation on the part of the BC Aviation Council and its members. I am truly honoured to be part of this positive initiative.”
“Everybody thinks ‘oh, flight training,'” YXS President and CEO Gord Duke explained to My PG Now. “There is a huge range, from airport management to aircraft mechanics. All of those jobs are not being filled – there are a lot of open jobs in the aviation sector.”
Duke explained the biggest barrier for young people trying to break in to the industry is cost, he said the initiative is extra special being in the name of Chief Logan, who has a close working relationship with the airport.
Interested students can apply through the BC Aviation Council for this scholarship and more, Duke said they give out over $100,000 annually. You can find more information on scholarships here.
Today (Tuesday) also marks the start of the BC Aviation Council Conference – the first time the event has been held in Prince George in 15 years.
Duke said speakers from across the world are joining the event virtually and in person, as well as representatives from airports across the province.
This year’s emphasis is on recovery.
Tourism PG CEO Colin Carson was also at the conference, he said another conference brining over 100 delegates to the community is great for the local economy.
The BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference was just held in Prince George for the first time ever in February, accompanied by the long awaited return of the BC Aviation Council Conference and numerous others to the Northern Capital, Carson hopes this is a trend that will continue.
“It is not a lucky streak, I hope,” Carson said. “We see the economic benefit of these events types of events in Prince George. We are constantly working to get more, and I think these provincial associations see the value in brining these conferences to other regions outside of the lower mainland and Victoria.”
For more information on the BC Aviation Council, click here.
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