Applications open for SAA cadet programme

South African Airways (SAA) has announced that applications for the airline’s 2014 Cadet Pilot Development Programme intake are now open. The applications process, which opened on Sunday, October 13, will close on October 19, 2013. Successful candidates will then undertake 14 months of theoretical and practical training which will enable them to get a ‘frozen’ ATPL (Airline Transport Pilot Licence). This will be followed by approximately three years of internship. “Upon completion of this phase, these cadets will be expected to seek employment in the aviation sector in order to gain further experience and ultimately obtain an Airline Transport Pilot Licence. It is only when they have sufficient flying experience that they can apply for employment at the SAA Group as and when suitable vacancies become available. Enrolment in the Cadet Pilot Development Programme does not guarantee employment at SAA, according to a spokesman. While the applications are open to interested South African youth, preference will be given to previously disadvantaged groups, the spokesman said. This is expected to balance the current skewed demographic breakdown in the pilot community in South Africa.