OREANDA-NEWS. The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), the training arm of Abu Dhabi Airports, was named Training and Education Provider of the Year at the 2013 Aviation Business Awards (ABA) in recognition of its focus and efforts in developing aviation professionals in the region. This marks the second time GCAS has won this prestigious award.

The Aviation Business Awards (ABA) are focused on celebrating achievements realized across the Middle East aerospace industry over the past 12 months. This year's ceremony, which took place earlier this month in Dubai, included awards in 15 categories in total, covering the airline, airport and cargo sectors, along with the supporting sectors.

Aws N. Al Khanjari, General Manager of GCAS commented: “This award serves as a validation of GCAS’s focus on delivering tailor made aviation & airport training solutions and recognizes the hard work and dedication of GCAS’s instructors and staff towards instilling a culture of excellence in all facets of training and development activities. It also highlights the importance of partnerships and collaboration in the industry. This award is also a result of the hard work and effort put together by all the partners who have worked closely with the GCAS team since its inception”

GCAS’s aim is to work closely with other established training institutions and global organizations to provide the exchange of best practices, expertise and resources.

GCAS is also committed to supporting the current and future aviation related manpower requirements of Abu Dhabi Airports as well as the region, by designing and delivering training programmes tailor-made to the growth requirements of the industry growth in the region.  The recently launched “Al Eqla’a” (Take Off) programme for young Emirati Nationals is one such unique initiative.

The core focus of “Al Eqla’a” is to develop Emirati college and university graduates as airport professionals, providing them with key skills and the ability to work in critical roles within Abu Dhabi Airports. This initiative will play a vital part in ensuring that Abu Dhabi Airports supports Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 by not just being the key gateway to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, but by ensuring the focus is on attracting and developing Emirati talent in the aviation sector.