Funding cuts may ground aviation deal
CHANGES to higher education funding mean an aviation course based in the Far North might not be accessible to Australian students.
CQUniversity and Hinterland Aviation yesterday signed an agreement to provide practical flight training for CQUniversity students.
The university’s ViceChancellor Professor Scott Bowman said the agreement would give Bachelor of Aviation (Flight Operations) and Graduate Diploma of Aviation (Flight Operations) students in Cairns an opportunity to work with an already established airline.
But he said a new limit on the amount of money students could borrow from the government for university courses meant the course would be out of reach for students.
The government has capped loans at $104,000 for most students and $150,000 for those doing medical courses.
“It’s a relatively expensive course,” Prof Bowman said. “They do an undergraduate degree and then a TAFE course, and hours and hours of flying are included in the course.
“The aviation course will cost somewhere closer to $120,000, so they won’t be able to take a loan out to do that course. They should have thought there are other things like aviation that would be as expensive as medical degrees.”
Prof Bowman said he would bring the issue up with government representatives in coming weeks.
He said there was already significant interest from overseas students for the course.
“There are going to be so many jobs available and we’ll take a big cohort of international students,” he said. “It’s going to be something we need so we’re going to take that up with the government and ask them to rethink the changes.”
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