Commissioner of Education Eviton Heyliger visited Ontario, Canada from September 11-17 with the main purpose to familiarize himself with the facilities at the Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College where currently three students from Saba are enrolled.
Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College has already successfully trained two students from Saba, Jozua and Avant Baker, who are now working as First Officers at WINAIR in St. Maarten. Sabans Kimson Guerrier and Micaiah Liburd started the Advanced Commercial Pilot License (ACPL) program at Spectrum Airways in June this year, while Edward Zaegers Mario Zagers enrolled early September this year. Mario Zagers is scheduled to start in April 2024.
“Hopefully, they will graduate two years after they started, and Saba will have more of its own pilots. It is great to see our own pilots at WINAIR. You feel safe and proud flying with them. In general, it is good for Saba to have its own pilots. The door is now open for any Saban to become a pilot. We are moving into the aviation world,” said Heyliger. The three Saba students are in the special Caribbean package called “Opportunity to the Skies,” which includes support with Canadian immigration, registering with Canadian social insurance, and other logistical aspects. The Saba students are the first students from the Caribbean at Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College.
Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College has two locations, one at Burlington Executive Airport and the other at the Parry Sound Municipal Airport. Heyliger, joined by members of the family-owned Spectrum Airways and Wingrove Baker, Caribbean Liaison Officer of Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College, was present for the official opening of the flight school’s location at Parry Sound Municipal Airport. A team of Spectrum Airways will visit Saba, as well as several other islands in the region, including St. Maarten, St. Eustatius, Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis early November this year to further discuss and promote the Caribbean “Opportunity to the Skies” program.
While in Ontario, Heyliger visited the flight school and the campus. He also visited the two homes where three Saba students are staying with a local family. “I talked with the families who took in our Saban students. They are very nice families and treat them as if they are their own children,” said Heyliger. The Public Entity Saba does not provide full scholarships for students attending Spectrum Airways Flight Training & Career College, but it does help the students with housing tuition.
On Tuesday, September 19, Commissioner Heyliger signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two universities in the United States, the Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa and the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The MOU’s open opportunities for Saban students to attend these universities and motivates them to enrol with a grant from the school.
