Etihad inducts fresh batch of Emiratis

Etihad Airways honoured a total of 31 UAE national cadet pilots, 10 graduate managers, one engineer graduate and 77 contact centre staff from the UAE, and an additional 11 graduating cadet pilots of other nationalities during a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The carrier said that the graduating cadet pilots, who have completed an 18-month training course, have joined the airline as second officers. "As the national airline of the UAE, and as part of our support of the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan, we are committed to training and developing a national workforce of skilled motivated Emiratis," said James Hogan, chief executive officer. A fourth group of graduate managers who completed a 21-month training programme that included a nine-month workplace orientation programme in key Etihad departments, followed by a six-month placement with a specified team and, finally, a business-based project were also feted. The staff will be placed in departments throughout the airline's network, including positions at overseas centres in Munich, Chicago, London and Melbourne.