2 Q's re Auditing & Airside Access Passes

[AES]

Good day to all,

I'm new on this board, so sorry if someone has sent in similar q's recently (though I've searched & haven't found any).

I've just spent a lot of time studying the CAA & FAA websites and can't find an answer, so I'd appreciate any help/comments from members, especially spanners, on the following please:

1. Is there any form of official (CAA/JAA/EASA, even FAA) "qualification" (i.e. some form of "Licence") for people who perform technical auditing of, for e.g; an airline maintenance facility, or an MRO?
If as I suspect, the answer is "No", then would any of you contract engineers out there spend almost 2,000 quid of your own money to take a 5 day residential course with CAA International Services (training) Dept, at the end of which there's only a "certificate of attendance" (there doesn't even seem to be any sort of exam at the end of the course, and apparently, no pre-qualification reqs on who can attend)?
I also have similar q's re broadly similar courses run by Cranfield, one covering Human Factors in Maintenance, the other Continuing Airworthiness (CAME).
Any steers from any contractors out there who are called on to perform "audits" & similar tasks (technical more than financial) would be most welcome, thanks in advance.

2. I'm (almost) sure that I read late last year (I think in "Flight", maybe somewhere else, but can't find it now - typical!), that "someone, somewhere" (perhaps the CAA, or some other NAA?) was starting up a database whereby non-permanent employees such as self-employed contractors, etc, with genuine reasons for needing access would be pre-vetted (from the police/security angle), so making it a LITTLE easier/less time-consuming/less expensive to get issued with an airside security pass at various airports around Europe, (and No, I don't think I was dreaming!)
Again, any serious steers gratefully received, thanks.

Krgds
AES

[Genghis the Engineer]

No idea about the second.

On your first point, auditing is an essential function of pretty much any organisation operating in aviation nowadays. If an organisation has a quality manual / exposition / handbook (same thing!) which requires internal auditing, then it'll also state who may conduct, record, and sign-off those audits.

The normal mechanism for gaining approval for somebody to fulfil this function (or any other that involves signing for things) is to send the CAA a form AD458 "biographical details of senior staff", which is then signed off by the CAA's appointed company surveyor.

CAA often resist (for both good reasons and bad ones) any "minimum qualification creep" in AD458 approvals. Instead, they look at the overall biography of an individual, usually send somebody over to interview them or watch them at work, then (assuming all is okay) sign them off in the role, possibly with a few caveats.

So, if you are looking taking on the role of internal auditor (or a specialist in other roles) for a company, the thing to do is get them to submit an AD458 for you as-is. When they come to interview you, discuss whether they see any gaps in your knowledge that need to be plugged. If they do, then what they should do is issue a conditional approval "authorised, subject to completion of **** course, and #### training, within ^^^^ timescale / before starting work in this role". This is a pretty time-honoured practice and I've heard nothing in recent years to suggest that CAA were planning to change that.


As to specific courses, well there are several ways of looking at this. £2000 for 5 days is a little high for this sort of specialist training, but not particularly out of court. Most of us want to improve ourselves, and progress our careers for bigger and better things - which is the sort of reason that these courses exist. In most cases, companies send permanent employees on them as part of a staff development plan - if you are a contractor then you can always try this with the main company you're working for, but frankly it's the sort of reason that as a contractor you are paid so much more than most permanent staff - you are expected to maintain your own professional skills and everybody recognises that this takes time and money.

Incidentally, if you are looking at such things, http://www.cpda.org.uk/ is worth a gander.

G

[Fargoo]

On the second point, Disclosure Scotland will do a security check suitable for airside pass applications. Costs £10 and most airports insist it has been done within 6 months of the application for the airside pass.

http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/

That's the firm I used for my airside pass at LHR.

[AES]

Thanks to both Genghis and Fargoo for the valuable leads and comments.

Krgds
AES

[KwikPhix]

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but iirc, it can take upto 6 or 8 weeks to get your disclosure scotland vetting form back, so book early....

[spannersatcx]

Just done mine, applied on Tuesday got it back Saturday and the cost is £13:60, plus 50p for CC transaction.

[Wodrick]

The benifit of a pure life ! :)
Seriously, when the disclosure became a requirement for an airside pass they were snowed under and 6 to 8 weeks was good, my pass was granted retrospectivly, just had to produce the disclosure when I got it, gave me 60 days to let it come (I had applied)
Now it is just required for renewals and new issues it seems the response is much better. I guess there will be seasonal fluctuations however.