Academic and Scientific Cooperation

1. The technical training development program with Thales

A comprehensive consultancy study on the development of technical training at GACA has been made in cooperation with the University of Thales / Thales Company in France on the following basis:

  • Setting a plan for the development of training , curricula and the trainers to be simultaneous with the emergence of the Academy
  • Partnership in the transfer of knowledge
  • Providing the appropriate scientific and academic atmosphere for training
  • Progressive development of the capacities of manpower
  • Construction of the facilities and modern training laboratories
  • A program for international cooperation with distinguished technical academies and specialized technical training centers all over the world.

2. Allies in supporting the technical training.

A number of organizations outside the Kingdom have been involved in the preliminary steps to establish the Academy:

  • The National Academy of Civil Aviation ( ENAC ) / French Ministry of Transportation
  • Safy Paul Company / French Ministry of Interior
  • Thales University
  • Thales Company
  • Emergency Service Training Institute / Texas

The door for academic cooperation is still open for any other training organization that the Academy may like to add later.

3. High Diploma program for secondary school scientific graduates.

In cooperation with Thales Company and the experts of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a high diploma program in Air Traffic Control, in Navigational Aids Maintenance, in Fire and Rescue or in Airports_ Operation and Safety has been designed for secondary schools scientific graduates or equivalents.

Study for the three-year High Diploma will be 120 weeks divided into 3 years (40 weeks each). Each year will be divided into 4 semesters (10 weeks each) .

The number of credit hours for the High Diploma course will be 3600 hours (theoretical and practical) to the amount of : 1200 hours per annum : 300 hours per semester : 30 hours per week : 6 hours a day.

4. Specialty Programs

Included in the academic cooperation with the French Company, Thales, a number of work teams have been formed to develop the specialty programs in the fields of Air Traffic Control and the Maintenance of Navigational Equipment. Developing more than ten other specialty programs in these two fields is still going on.

5. Academy Campus

Designing the Academy premises has also been performed in academic cooperation with Thales.. This includes buildings for training, for the administration , for students_ accommodation and supporting services. The building project was divided into two phases; of which the first has been nearly finished.