ATCO Competency and Refresher Training

[EUROATCO]

ATCO Competency and Refresher training will become mandatory as of November 2003 throughout the Eurocontrol states. (ESARR5) Could you guys advise of how your service providers or states are going to handle this.

I am particularly interested in:

Refresher Training - how long, content?
Competency checks - by annual checks or continuous assessment?
Who makes the checks?
Licencing arrangements?
What happens if you are found to be incompetent?
What’s your minimum alcohol level – who does the check?
Minimum number of hours on a working postion?

That’s enough for now … thanks in advance,

EUROATCO

:p

[flowman]

EUROATCO

Your unit is responsible for drawing up its own Competency Scheme which has to be in place by November next year. It should detail answers to all the questions you asked.
The documentation would really need to have been written by now, LCE courses should already have been completed or at least the candidates should be aware who they are and that they will be trained. Otherwise your management is either a bit late, or they intend to introduce something a bit half baked at the last minute. Not a good idea.

flowman

[Voroff]

Competency checks - by annual checks or continuous assessment?

- we already have this in the UK by annual checks

Who makes the checks?

-Either the CAA's safety regulatory depatment or the Unit's qualified Local Competency examiner

Licencing arrangements?

- ?


What happens if you are found to be incompetent?

- You would have to under go a training programme before trying again to prove yourself competent.

What’s your minimum alcohol level – who does the check?

-:eek: hopefully a pretty nurse :D

Minimum number of hours on a working postion?

- Minimum ? we have rule for a maximum of two hours continous duty without a break. However if your asking about the minimum No. of hours training on the working position before your competency check it's 180hrs for an initial (first time) check and 90hrs should you ever move unit if i remember correctly

[GroundBound]

A small (but important) clarification.

ESARR5 is a Safety Regulatory Requirement for the National Safety Regulators - NOT for the Service Providers (ANSPs)!

The ANSPs will have to comply with the regulations formulated by their governing Safety Regulator. Therfore it depends how the governing Safety Regulator chooses to implement the contents of ESARR5 which counts. To know what you have to do - ask your (friendly ;) ) Safety Regulator.

I repeat, ANSPs to do not comply directly with ESARR-5.

[ATCO Two]

Hi EUROATCO,

To answer your points from a Heathrow perspective.
The refresher training is called TRUCE in the UK - Training for Unusual Circumstances and Emergencies. It should total around 4 hours each year and might consist of tabletop exercises, classroom discussions and simulator work, according to the complexity of the Unit. This training is carried out by nominated TRUCE Examiners, who are also Local Competency Examiners.

Competency checking can be carried out by continuous assessment or dedicated checks or a combination of the two methods. Notes (both good and bad!) are kept on the performance over the year of the controllers allocated to each LCE. The LCE oversees the competency of his charges, and discusses any shortcomings in performance and incident handling issues with them in a timely manner. He is there to give advice and guidance to less experienced controllers. LCEs may also listen in to the ATC operation in general to sample the standards of service being provided. The Local Competency Checking scheme is audited by the Regulator once per year.

LCEs sign an annual certificate of competence for each controller, after that controller has successfully passed both oral and practical checks, and carried out the necessary refresher training. There may also be a requirement to exercise the emergency services as part of the process. Records are kept, and the Regulator is informed of the result of all competency checks.

If found to be "not competent," the action to be taken will be agreed with the Regulator. Every effort will be made to bring the controller concerned up to the standard required. This could be done by a period of monitoring by an LCE, extra simulator training or by a full competency check or ultimately a validation board. Different validations are treated separately, e.g, if a controller is assessed as "not competent" in the Tower, he may still work on radar. If full competency cannot be regained, each case is then treated on its own merits.

Alcohol levels are not yet being randomly checked in the UK.

Hours on a working position, maximum 2 hours but 1.5 hours on the busiest positons. A dedicated check may last around 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic levels and complexity.

Anything else, please ask.

[angel_wings74]

Hi EUROATCO

Eurocontrol are in the process of publishing a deliverable "Assessing Operational Compentency". You should be able to get it from the DIS/HUM unit.

It covers what is in the course at the Eurocontrol Institute and gives recommendations on how competency should be assessed.

[A I]

Personally I find the minimum alcohol level for doing Clacton westbounds is three pints and a couple of nippie sweeties. As for the maximum, which is what I suspect you mean, then there was this Scottish gent, who used to do all of the South Bank, who only functioned after eight pints. Alas poor Jimmie, we miss you.

Seriously though, we don't have any levels set down in the UK. It is a matter of discretion for supervisors. In my experience, anybody suspected of being "under the influence" would be quietly removed (on the first occasion).

AI ;) ;) ;)