SASKATOON, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies is expanding its aviation program through its partnership with Boeing Canada, opening a new learning centre and doubling student capacity while introducing avionics training as another career pathway.
SIIT president and CEO Riel Bellegarde said the institute launched its aviation program in 2010, and more than 100 students have since graduated and gone on to aviation-related jobs in Saskatchewan and across Canada. However, demand for aviation careers is rising, especially in maintenance work.
On Friday, Sept. 25, Bellegarde led the opening of SIIT’s new Aviation Learning Centre, welcoming Boeing Canada president Al Meinzinger and Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, along with SIIT board chair Chief Darcy Bear, students, faculty and staff.
Bellegarde said Boeing Canada’s $17-million investment, which is part of the aerospace company’s Industrial and Technological Benefits investment, not only funded the construction of SIIT’s new aviation facility but will also increase the number of spots for students who want to pursue an aviation career.
“This investment was so important because we couldn’t keep up with the demand. The Boeing investment allows us actually to double our capacity for learners,” said Bellegarde, adding there has been a long waiting list of people wanting to take the aircraft maintenance and avionics programs.
A major part of the investment supports the expansion into avionics, a program Bellegarde said has not previously been offered in Saskatchewan. The new training will create opportunities for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners interested in aviation careers.
SIIT offers a two-year diploma program in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering, where graduates receive 18 months of credit toward a 48-month apprenticeship required to earn a Transport Canada Category M licence. It also has an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Preparation introductory program.
The new learning centre also provides expanded hands-on training spaces to better prepare students for their AME diploma, its four-week Structures Aircraft Certification Authority Sheet Metal program and its new Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Category E Avionics program.
“We're going to increase the number of participants in each program. Importantly, Boeing’s investment allows us to expand into avionics, a program that has never been offered here in Saskatchewan. Some Saskatchewan students have never had the opportunity to take an avionics course,” said Bellegarde.
Students will gain hands-on experience working on aircraft, helicopters and engines, while avionics students will learn how to repair and maintain cockpit instruments and systems. SIIT also has simulators that let learners build skills across different aircraft types.
The expansion coincides with SIIT’s 50th anniversary, which Bellegarde said reflects the vision of Saskatchewan First Nation leaders who established an institution focused on preparing Indigenous people for economic opportunities. The expanded aviation program can continue that mandate while opening new career opportunities in a growing industry.
“Could you have predicted we’d be standing in a $17.5-million hangar? Probably not. But this does bring honour to that vision, and it’s just keeping in that mandate that they gave us to think about the future and our role as First Nation people and First Nation citizens in this economy,” Bellegarde said.
Creating new jobs
Meinzinger said the company’s relationship with SIIT dates back nearly 20 years, and assisting the institute in expanding its avionics programs is a way for the aerospace industry to meet the growing demand for skilled workers.
“We’re delighted to deepen that partnership. The production and the graduating of more aerospace specialists or maintenance engineers is really going to help us in the future in terms of creating opportunities and great jobs,” said Meinzinger.
Meinzinger praised SIIT’s new aviation centre, describing it as a world-class facility with classrooms and laboratories designed specifically for aerospace training, and added that the institute had done a great job ensuring the facility opened on time.
He also pointed to the broader demand for aerospace workers across Canada. He said the federal government’s defence industrial strategy aims to create an additional 125,000 aerospace jobs over the next decade, underscoring the need for institutions such as SIIT to increase training capacity.
“Institutions like this, being able to sort of double the throughput year after year after year, that’s going to really add capacity into the industry,” said Meinzinger, adding that they expect the aerospace sector’s growth trajectory to continue, creating opportunities for young Canadians entering the industry.
“We’re going to need young Canadians to be interested in joining the aerospace industry. It’s a great livelihood. Students entering the field now, I think they’re joining at the right time. There’s a bright future ahead for them,” he added.
From students to the workforce
Cheveldayoff said the provincial government continues to invest in post-secondary institutions such as SIIT, with its aviation program responding directly to workforce needs he hears about from businesses across the province.
“We need more training of Saskatchewan individuals to provide the workforce, the pipeline for them. These investments are important to meeting industry demand. It’s providing that education, allowing them to get that education here in Saskatchewan, and make their careers here,” he said.
He also highlighted the opportunity for students to receive specialized training in Saskatchewan and build careers in the province, including those from different backgrounds who had not initially planned to enter aviation but now see it as the right career path.
