The increasing number of people traveling by air is creating new requirements and giving scope to the expansion of the aviation sector. Apart from carrying the passengers, the airways also hold a lion’s share in the goods transportation. Increasing utilization of the air transportation for import and export of the goods also consequences the development of the sector. Thus, meeting the contemporary requirements many colleges in India offer several courses in the stream. While there are several aviation institutes mushrooming across the country promising of educational and career opportunities for budding aviation professionals, only a few manage to excel as complete hotspots of quality teaching and learning and in this pursuit Western India Institute of Aeronautics Pvt Ltd (WIIA) comes out as a front runner.
Established in the year 2004 by Dr Nagesh Bhandari with necessary approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India, in Hansol, Ahmedabad, since then, WIIA has evolved from being a regional leader to a national leader in supplying AME professionals to the industry. With a vision of being ‘Atma-nirbhar’ much before the Government of India had officially declared a national move, Dr Bhandari had envisioned the crucial importance of the aviation industry that it brings to today’s world and the value it adds to the national economy. Also, as proposed under the UDAN scheme, where the government is committing itself to raising the number of airports in India to 250 by the end of 2024, it is inevitable that the need for licensed AME’s will immensely increase and WIIA has proven itself as pioneers who have started the preparation to cater to this demand.
Led by Ms Radhika Bhandari, a young pragmatic leader, WIIA is gearing up to be a globally recognized organization, where Ms Radhika emphasizes on women in aviation, where she is one of the only female leaders in an aviation organization in India. Moreover, operating as a wholesome institute that provides various aviation courses with realistic career opportunities across the globe, WIIA currently offers courses in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) with an option along with B.Sc. (Honors) in Aircraft Maintenance in collaboration with Indus University. “Along with AME, in accordance with the new National Education Policy where skill has development is also given the importance we provide vocational courses in Aviation, Hospitality & Travel Management including Cabin Crew”, shares – Ms. Radhika Bhandari, the Director of WIIA & Dean-Aviation, Indus University.
An Experience and execution based educational journey
“We at Western India Institute of Aeronautics Pvt Ltd believe that an industry-ready student makes for a great professional. We can safely claim to have cracked the code of success for our previous students in the Aviation and MRO sectors to our industry-ready infrastructure and ‘Practical Training’ facility”, continued – Ms. Radhika Bhandari, explaining to our readers how WIIA stands out in terms of hands-on exposures when compared to other aviation institutes across Gujarat and India. Additionally, being the only aircraft maintenance engineering institute in India to have its own Boeing 737-200 aircraft on campus to provide Aircraft Maintenance Engineering course in Category B1.1 (Airplane Turbine) and B2(Avionics) approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Government of India, and other skill development courses in Aviation field with latest technology and systems, gives WIIA an upper hand, in turn, providing the incoming students the best opportunities to fulfill their dream of a successful Aviation career.
Coming to perhaps the most important part of running a well-equipped Aviation Institute in today’s time – the infrastructure, Ms. Bhandari added – “We equip our teaching labs with the latest technologies & methodologies necessary for practical field maintenance of different types of aircrafts”. Also, WIIA lays special emphasis on jobs in the store, Q.C. cell & associated documentation, and in partnership with leading companies such as Taj Air and Deccan Chatters, the institute trains its students on a practical work atmosphere at their facilities in Bengaluru and Mumbai airport. WIIA through all its effective endeavors ensures that no stone is left unturned in pursuit of making their students witness their tremendous growth in the aviation industry, as they are facilitated with opportunities to work across 50 domestic and international companies, and the 600+ alumni and of which 75 plus are female under the WIIA umbrella are a living example to the industry connections existing at WIIA.
Steadily being known as a renowned student-friendly campus spread across 16 acres, the tranquil and serene environment of WIIA enables the learners to study in a calm and knowledge-driven environment. Besides focusing on lectures and field trips, the curriculum and pedagogy at WIIA encourages involvement in athletics, brain strengthening games, talent shows, debates, volunteer work & community services, women empowerment workshops, fitness sessions and much more. The amalgamation of academics and non-academic activities keeps the campus vibrant and enjoyable, giving a chance to students to make unforgettable memories while on campus. Under the Green Initiative – Western India Institute of Aeronautics Pvt Ltd in collaboration with Indus University has its solar energy power plant of 120 KW Capacity, which helps the institute cater to the energy requirements of the campus.
Lastly, touching base on the various collaborations and efforts targeted towards strengthening their ties with its stakeholders WIIA has signed several MOUs and undertaken several valuable steps. WIIA x IIATE (Indus Institute of Aviation Technology and Engineering) – 06 June 2012, which was initiated to empower the students to be commercially employed after the completion of their academic programmes with WIIA, WIIA x Young Indian – 25 July 2020, which pushed students to conceptualize, plan and execute, WIIA x GrayQuest – 5 September 2021, an initiative to ease up the process of fees payment and offer students and parents zero interest education loan are a few examples of the efforts the management of WIIA puts in towards a better future for all its students, thereby, equipping learners at all levels with the knowledge, skills, and resources to attract prosperity, happiness, and peace among society.
Ms. Radhika Bhandari – Director of WIIA & Dean-Aviation, Indus University
Ms Radhika Bhandari is a young aviation enthusiast and has been exposed to aviation since childhood. With her innately inquisitive nature, she did her engineering in metallurgy; an area where usually males were in majority but she was always interested in understanding fundamentals and Metallurgy was one of those fields where you learn all about ‘Materials’ which is the backbone of Aviation industry. It also made her explore the manufacturing process of various industries that eventually helped her to understand the aviation industry from scratch. She firmly believes that as being one of the very few female leaders in the Indian Aviation industry, she is in a position to bring about a change in the male dominant aviation industry and empower women to make a career in this field, an area where they had less representation earlier. Ms. Bhandari has also made the Indus University-WIIA family proud, as she is the Youngest and Only Indian Women representative who was selected, invited and then participated in CHOGM CommonWealth Head of Govt. Meeting, Commonwealth Business Forum at Kigali, Rwanda during June 20-25, 2022. She proved, ‘Productive leadership reflects not only in words but in practices and processes if you are firmly determined. She, amongst the galaxy of representatives from 54 countries, raised her head high in the International Business Forum, and her success has created a landmark reference for future aspirants.
