Originally Posted by sector8dear
Relying on those doing the selection is one thing, alas applicants first have to get through a "non NATS" aptitude day first.
Could it just be that the apparent failure rate is in part caused by suitable applicants being rejected by a defective aptitude test system. In other words perhaps we are unintentionally rejecting suitable aplicants due to flawed external assessments....
The 'non NATS' day must be assessing criteria set by (or acceptable to) NATS. I think we should consider the selection process as a whole, irrespective of who manages particular parts of it. However, it is impossible to know for sure but it seems likely that many suitable applicants are being rejected during the selection process (at whatever stage they are assessed as not suitable). As pointed out by Arkady, if we knew where the flaws are in the selection system we would have a 100% success rate with trainees.
Why not just bring the applicants in and stick them in front of a simple radar vectoring exercise in the sim (e.g. 3 a/c)??? Bet you can tell immediately if the applicant has the "spatial awareness" required for the job....
Sadly I'm not convinced that this would be any better. It's not just spatial awareness that is needed for the job. If we could define all of the characteristics needed maybe we could select for them. Despite many attempts to document all of the skills needed to train and to do ATC we don't seem to be improving the success rate; either the skills definition is wrong or the training given is not really linked to teaching those skills or both (my money is on the latter).
So, at working level, we have to take what we are given - to rely on the selection process to provide the best that it can - and then do our best to get tose trainees up to a standard that will enable them to work on their own. I re-iterate my point that in training we should look at how to help trainees to succeed rather than look for ways to fail them.
P.S. - Apologies for that last bit to any current and future trainees for making them sound like a commodity!