Aviation’s future depends on more than aircraft, fuels and technology. It depends on people. Waterloo’s innovative Fundamentals of International Aviation program is helping to reach the next generation of aviation leaders, earning it a Gold medal for Best Certification Program at the 2026 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards and Bronze for Online Learning Experience at the 2026 International E-Learning Awards.
The Waterloo-developed online program is offered in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, helping learners in 141 countries understand global aviation and discover the many careers that make it possible. More than 7,200 people worldwide have enrolled in the course so far.
That reach matters as aviation faces a growing workforce challenge. Future air operations will require skilled people to operate, manage, and maintain an increasingly complex global air transport system. The pathway into aviation starts with awareness: understanding the industry, discovering the breadth of careers it offers, and seeing where individual talents might fit. The Fundamentals of International Aviation program provides that accessible introduction for students, career-changers, and aviation professionals.
This people-centred approach reflects the broader vision of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA), which brings environmental progress together with social inclusion, economic resilience, and the skilled workforce needed to put innovation into practice.
“Talent is everywhere, but access to aviation education is not,” says Dr. Suzanne Kearns, associate professor and founding director of WISA. “By introducing learners around the world to aviation’s possibilities, Waterloo is helping more people see where they could contribute to a safe and sustainable future for flight.”
Waterloo reimagined the comprehensive 20-hour Fundamentals of International Aviation course in 2025. Now, learners can build toward the complete program certificate by completing 10 short, self-paced stackable micro-credentials. Since these micro-credentials can be completed in any order, learners can begin with topics most relevant to their interests.
The new format is reaching a broader global community. Enrolments from United Nations-designated least developed countries now account for 15 per cent of learners, up from just 3 per cent in the original long-format model. Women now also account for 47 per cent of enrolments compared with 37 per cent in the original course model.
Recent Gold and Bronze medal wins for the Fundamentals of International Aviation program recognize a proven model of connecting Canadian aviation expertise with a global community. Waterloo and ICAO have recently extended that model through the new Aviation Sustainability program, adding 11 stackable micro-credentials focused on aviation’s environmental, social, and economic future.
Learners across 141 countries are discovering aviation education can begin wherever they are. Increasingly, it begins with Waterloo.