Kenyan Commercial Bank (KCB) has undertaken to upscale the aviation training programme being offered by Mang’u High School in a partnership that will benefit hundreds of students.

The five-year partnership will see KCB assist Mang’u to equip its aviation center and provide students with hands-on experience to prepare them for careers in the aviation industry.

The bank pledged Sh5 million towards the project coming after Kenya Airways donated a Boeing 737-700 aircraft to Mang’u High School to support its ongoing aviation programme.

KCB has undertaken to facilitate the transfer of the plane from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the school’s Thika-based facility on top of equipping its aviation training center.

“Through this sponsorship, our goal is to inspire students to take up a career in the aviation sector with a long-term goal of mainstreaming it in our curriculum,” said KCB Group CEO Paul Russo.

Mangu’s aviation training programme is expected to train hundreds of students to become air traffic controllers, aircraft engineers, pilots among other aviation professionals in future.

Paul Russo, Stanley Thairu, Jackson Kamiri and Anthony Maina. PHOTO/KCB

The high school is one of the few schools in Kenya that are offering aviation training that focuses on technical skills including propulsion, thermodynamics and meteorology.

The aviation students from Mang’u High School take up most of their studies at Wilson Airport and Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, both in Nairobi County.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we have received from KCB and other organisations,” said Mang’u High School Board of Management Chairman Anthony Maina.

He added, “We believe that a strong aviation program is essential for preparing students for the future in this field.”

According to statistics recently released by the Government, Kenya has a deficit of more than 2,000 pilots and seeks to train at least 800 aviators per year for the next five years.