MARIGOT--Fifteen young women have embarked on a month-long course to obtain the European Cabin Crew Certificate CCA (Cabin Crew Attestation). This first training course financed by the Collectivité's Pass Formation scheme began Monday, September 4.
The course, conducted by Martinique’s Centre de Formation d’Apprentis des Métiers de L’Aeronautique Ciel Outre-Mer (CFACIOM), costs 4,603 euros per person and is fully funded by the Collectivité's Pass Formation programme.
This experimental scheme gives job-seekers access to individual training courses worth up to 8,000 euros. The Collectivité will thus be able to finance 100 Pass Formation students until December 31, of which the first 15 are CCAs.
Pre-recruited by the Mission Locale and then by the CFACIOM, the 15 young women will have the chance to receive training never before offered in the territory.
“This is the first time that this training has been carried out entirely in the home country,” explained CFACIOM President Marie-Claude Valide, who came from Martinique for the occasion. “Usually, candidates from St. Martin have to go to Guadeloupe and then to France for practical training.”
At the end of September, the students will have to pass an exam comprising multiple-choice questions on security, safety, medicine and aviation, as well as take a swimming test in a pool. They will also have to pass their Test of English for International Communication (TEIC), a test which “shouldn't pose any problems, given that they are all bilingual,” said Marie-Claude Valide.
An instructor will also be on hand to teach them how to introduce themselves and apply for jobs.
“After all, it’s not just about getting the diploma, you have to know how to make the most of it,” she stressed. While this diploma gives the young women access to an in-demand sector and enables them to work in any European company, “you’ll still have to fight to be accepted,” Valide added.
President of Mission Locale in St. Martin Raphaël Sanchez and Préfet Vincent Berton both congratulated the 15 young women.
“You embody a very fine image of St. Martin,” Berton declared. “I'm a great believer in the talents of the young people of St. Martin. You must go all the way.”
This course is the first in a series of courses financed by the Collectivité. The next one will be for those wishing to work on cruise ships. The Mission Locale invites interested people under 25 to contact them. Those over 25 should contact Pôle Emploi.
