Singapore and Scout Association establish Youth Aviation Advisory Board

CIVIL Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Singapore Scout Association (SSA) has signed an MoU to set up a Youth Aviation Advisory Board (YAAB) to promote awareness of aviation and its careers among youth in Singapore, as well as Air Scout co-curricular activities in primary and secondary schools.

A rejuvenated Air Scouts programme has been developed to include greater industry reliance and reach youths and develop the next generation of aviation professionals through YAAB, said CAAS director-general Yap Ong Heng in a statement.

The revamped Air Scouts programme provides students with a comprehensive overview of Singapore's aviation industry and practical hands-on experience with industry professionals. It covers eight core domains of aviation: principles of flight, aerospace operations, meteorology, aero engine, practical skills, navigation, air traffic control, communications, flight safety and airmanship.

SSA chief commissioner Tan Cheng Kiong said YAAB is built on a consultative approach to make it relevant to the industry: "This is a significant milestone for the SSA Air Scout Section as the revamped programme was developed after many rounds of consultations with educational and industry partners, in particular CAAS."

A number of the SSA's pilot projects under the Air Scouts programme were supported by CAAS through the Aviation Youth Outreach Seed Fund 1. These include the launch of the Young Aviators Badge course to introduce young scouts to Singapore aviation, its history, and achievements as well as basic aviation and aerodynamic principles.

SSA has also been establishing Aviation Clubs - Air Scout units - within schools. They offer to members, activities, such as flight experiences, aeromodelling, airplane spotting to name a few. The clubs will provide full-fledged aviation programmes, with customised training methodologies and progression tracks.

To date, CAAS has reached out to over 16,000 youths through its various youth outreach programmes such as the Aviation Learning Journeys, Aviation Open House, Youth Aviation Ambassador programme and the We Are Aviators Facebook page.