AMSTERDAM:--- The aviation internship program Cari-Aire was officially relaunched last week. This took place at the Office of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten in The Hague. This internship program aims to strengthen the aviation sector on all six islands. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and the Caribbean aviation authorities, implemented in collaboration with the WeConnect Foundation. Four interns will begin a five-month internship in September with the aviation authorities of Sint Maarten, at the healthcare institution Fundashon Mariadal (in collaboration with Bonaire Airport), and at Saba Airport.
Relaunch
The first cohort of the Cari-Aire program has now graduated. Antillean Ghyslaine Sambo, for example, successfully completed her internship with the aviation authorities of Curaçao. She looks back with satisfaction and believes she learned a great deal from her practical experience: “I did a trial internship, so I was deployed in a versatile way. I especially enjoyed the fieldwork and found it educational!”
Aruba native Charles Huntington interned with the Aruban aviation authorities. It was so successful for both parties that he was offered a full-time position. This summer, he completed his Aviation studies at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and was able to start immediately. From Aruba, he explained his enthusiasm: “Arriving in the middle of Carnival season was wonderful, of course. But my internship wasn't a vacation; I read and learned a lot about the local context of Aruba, which is truly different from the international context.”
New interns
Two of the four interns are studying Aviation at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Twenty-three-year-old Timo Jansen will be working at Fundashon Mariadal in Bonaire to help develop a drone corridor for pharmaceuticals. “That involves a lot of regulations, and I'm looking forward to conducting a thorough risk analysis.” Lucas Bol, a third-year student, is starting at the Sint Maarten Aviation Authority. "In short, I'm going to help improve the flight operations manual." The islands are still uncharted territory for both students, and they are eager to get started.
The third new intern is Aquilla Pemberton, who will also be applying her knowledge and skills to the aviation authorities on her native island of Sint Maarten. She studies Law at The Hague University of Applied Sciences and is looking forward to further exploring aviation from a legal perspective. Her fellow student, Lissa Laguerre, will begin her internship at Saba Airport in September. "I was born in Curaçao and am very excited to get to know Saba and contribute to it."
Strengthening the Aviation Sector
All efforts are focused on expanding specialist knowledge within the aviation sector. This is achieved, among other things, by promoting substantive expertise, such as training lawyers, technicians, and operational specialists. This is necessary because the aviation sector also faces challenges such as finding qualified personnel and an increasingly aging population. Maurits Paauwe, involved with Cari-Aire on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, expressed the importance of the internship program as follows: “As interns, you contribute to real challenges faced by various employers. This directly contributes to strengthening aviation in the Caribbean, a key goal for us at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.”
Commitment
On behalf of WeConnect, Cari-Aire program manager Pam Evertsz expressed her satisfaction. “The success of this internship program hinges on the willingness of our partners and stakeholders to adapt quickly; I am proud that we have achieved this again.” She offered encouragement to the interns: “You will enter an international work environment where you will learn to collaborate with other people and other cultures.”
The Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten and the staff of the Cabinet of Aruba were present at the launch. Everyone wished the interns the best of luck. There was much appreciation for this wonderful collaboration within the Kingdom and the hope that the Cari-Aire aviation internship program will bring even more students to the islands in the future.
