KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Malaysia Aviation Group has offered its pilots, cabin crew and frontline employees affected by the Covid-19 pandemic a reskilling and upskilling scheme called MH EDGILE.

According to the parent company of Malaysia Airlines Bhd, the programme is open to the group’s 2,000 employees and will train them to work in other areas such as facilities management and audit, or general and trainable areas such as sales and IT helpdesk.

In a statement, MAG said the initiative was voluntary and applicants are subject to the selection criteria of the receiving department.

"With the pandemic still showing little sign of improvement, forcing some airlines to halt operations and ground almost fleet, it is important for us to prepare our workforce with new skill sets to become more efficient in their current roles or shift into emerging positions as well as to support the business goals.

"This is the perfect time for the staff to reinvent themselves,” said Group CEO of Malaysia MAG, Captain Izham Ismail.

Employees who have applied for the scheme will be temporarily assigned to other departments that need help.

The aviation industry has been hit hard due to border closures in countries all over the world. Many in the aviation industry were forced to take unpaid leave or were retrenched as a result of the pandemic.

Malaysia Airlines has also embarked on a debt restructuring scheme, in which it has asked creditors and suppliers for assistance after citing an inability to adhere to its long-term business revival plan due to Covid-19.

In July, the Transport Ministry said the aviation industry would need 18 months to recover domestically and three years internationally.

MAG said it has carried out several initiatives to digitise operations and equip employees with the knowledge to handle the digital era, introduced virtual learning series called Re: Imagine Work Series, Lean and Agile training, MAG Learning Hub and introduced the Employee Assistance Programme in March 2020 among other things.