Nats Aptitude Re Tests

[nnelgcta]

I have just been informed that i have failed the aptitude tests for re selection for the NATS london airports. This whole situation is a farce as these were the same tests that i passed to get into NATS originally and that i passed less than 3 years ago. I passed all aerodromes first time and passed the air/ground course, then onto radar skills and passed but failed area. Just over a month ago i passed an apc for my aerodrome license and still hold my class 1 medical. I am ready to start any training but not in NATS s eyes as i don't have the required aptitude! Any one in the same situation?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Long time since I was involved in training and things have changed. How about other airports? Have they indicated that you may be acceptable for somewhere outside London?

I don't understand all that you've said but presume that you do not have an ATC Licence? If you do have one then I would suggest you look elsewhere and that could be rung to the London area once you obtain experience.

Good luck..

[Barry Cuda]

HD, I believe that the situation is that student ATCO's who have failed a radar course, or passed one but failed to validate at a unit, that hold an aerodrome rating after passing the aerodrome course are being sought to take on the tower only roles at LL, KK, SS, GW and LC.

However, and this is in my opinion (and obviously nnelgtca's), the farcical situation is that you have to re-interview as if you were back on day 1 of the selection procedure!

Does it mean that if we want to move units or extend onto other sectors we will have to do the same? I sometimes find it hard to believe some of the things that this company does, but this one has to be one of the daftest. The amount of time and money spent on training students is phenomenal as it is, and now they are going to throw away people who have failed tests that they have already passed!!!

[nnelgcta]

Hi HD, Thanks for the response. I have an unvalidated license issued by the college with adv and adi ratings. Also, i was offered an interview at EGLL in August which had to be delayed for these offensive tests and which has now been , as far as im aware, cancelled. Not sure of my next move. Thanks again

[TCAS FAN]

After speaking to a controller friend of mine, it appears that Southampton may need ATCOs. Apparently one in similar circumstances to yourself has, or is about, to be taken on. They do not appear to be limited with staff numbers down there, as they also have a lady ATCO who works part time, day shifts only, on days that she wishes to work, and isn't considered as part of the unit manning level.

Nice work if you can get it, thought that NATS was trying to cut costs?

[nnelgcta]

Thanks for the responses. I will just have to watch this space.

[nnelgcta]

Thanks to Barry Cuda for your particular reply. You are obviously a NATS follower and just wondered if you had any particular ideas of my next move? Don't know how much longer i can keep banging my head against the NATS HR proverbial wall!!!

Thanks again

[DC10RealMan]

This nonsense reminds me of an ATSA colleague who had an ATC licence which was validated at a regional airport which he had done at his own time and expense. He asked NATS to be employed as an ATCO but was refused because he could not do the selection tests to get the ATC licence which he already had!

[flower]

Why they couldn't have found a more appropriate way of assessing staff already employed within the company and often with a number of ratings under their belts is anyones guess.

The people who have applied for this are already staff with a track record behind them, for whatever reason they either failed to validate or pass the rating course. They are however now valued members of staff and should thus be assessed differently I believe from an unknown quantity.

I was a bit confused about the selection process , I did expect all applicants to go through some form of testing and interview, but to think they are putting them through the initial tests again is just plain daft IMHO. Many of them have a full set of ratings, as one who failed to validate at my first unit I can vouch that sometimes all people need is just a little more time and a different environment before coming valid ATCOs.

[side-saddled]

nnelgcta, I feel very sorry for you that you have not managed to pass the aptitude re-tests.

However....

Maybe it's now time to get yourself a job at a non-NATS airport and validate your licence like many others have if you're really serious about being a controller.
Even if it means initially taking a slight pay cut, or a little hardship.

Or you could just sit around picking up a fat pay cheque as an ATSA and moaning about equal opportunities till the cows come home, but I don't think it'll do you any good.

[northernboyo]

Try Bournemouth they are short, not about Southampton though.

[flower]

Does anyone know how many ATSAs managed to get through this trawl ?
So far I have Heard of only one who passed.

[arthur j negus esq]

5 at EGLL passed this set of tests, still waiting to hear what the next step is.

[nnelgcta]

Suprised to hear that 5 have passed from 1 unit, had heard that about 5 had passed in total!!!!!!

Dont think that HR are perhaps doing what the company need , again , glad i'm now out of it. So, to side saddled in particular, i have now done somthing about it and left glorious NATS but was trying to show some loyalty to the company that trained me first!

Good luck to all those still trying. They may get their act together one day!!!

[flower]

We had some good people who went forward for those tests, some with all the ratings. ( sometimes people just need more time for those who turn around now and say they failed already)
Wouldn't be at all surprised now if they leave the company and try elsewhere.

[side-saddled]

So, to side saddled in particular, i have now done somthing about it and left glorious NATS but was trying to show some loyalty to the company that trained me first!

I used to come out with sentences like that too............

In the end though, I owned up to the fact that I was kidding myself and I just wanted everything handed to me on a platter like those coming straight from the college with tower only ratings, who incedently were less experienced and had less ratings than myself.
Loyalty sounded better than telling people I was bitter and pi**ed off because I felt like I'd been shafted.

Actually, if I'm completely honest I did moan a lot and only told management types that I wanted to be loyal to the company, but that's what controllers do isn't it?

I have to admit though, I hadn't been cherry picked off my course by people from the london airports like the college kids had ........ so there's no guarentee if the new system of training was in place when I went through the college that I'd now be working in a london airport.
More likely, I'd have no ratings at all because I woudn't have done a TWR course and left without a pot to pi** in!

Besides, life isn't fair. Particularly in this job!

nnelgcta, I wish you the very best of luck in your future career and hope that if you really want to, you'll be able to re-join NATS once you are a valid controller and get the cushy job, big pay cheque and satisfaction of working at a major airport.
You never know, you may even come to be glad that the NATS thing didn't work out because the way I hear it, for those that did pass the aptitude tests, there is no guarentee of jobs.
And you may also get a little experience and see things that otherwise you'd never have come across.

Out of interest though, I thought a lot of operational controllers were against the idea of single ratings because the trainees had no idea what their collegues actually did for a living when they got to unit training?

I would also like to point out to all those who think the company they work for is being stupid and ignorant of their needs (because of all the units that are short of ATCO's when there's a perfectly good surplus of ATSA's with tower ratings), that the whole idea of employing those ATSA's with ratings was proposed to my knowledge around 18 months ago at one particular unit and the reason it has taken so long to get to this stage is because the union, of which the majority of you are a member, OPPOSED the idea!

It was actually members of NATS management who came up with the idea in the first place, and operational controllers who worked for the union that decided they didn't want the course failures to be given another go!
I suspect that the reason for the tests is a way of getting the union to accept the idea and actually give some people another crack at the whip.
Always willing to be proved wrong

Hark at me, the champion of NATS!
Not likely, but credit and slagging where it's due.:}