Pay at ATC College
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No more Radar Skills after the next course anyway... new course starts this summer. Anyone "crossing the floor" to Area after June will do the new course. There is no Op Famil in the middle of the new course. You do all the college bit, then go to your posted unit and stay there - forever!
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DwB,
Having read all of this thread, there seems to be contradictory accounts of the current course content and structure. Your info seems to be the most up to date? Any chance that if you (or anyone) has 5 spare mins you could post the definitive course structure applicable from June for all 3 specialisations, please?
Thanks, ADIS
Having read all of this thread, there seems to be contradictory accounts of the current course content and structure. Your info seems to be the most up to date? Any chance that if you (or anyone) has 5 spare mins you could post the definitive course structure applicable from June for all 3 specialisations, please?
Thanks, ADIS
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I cant see what all the fuss is about over pay anyway
If you went the other way and paid for your own course you get absolutly nothing!!
apart from an even bigger mortgage
still look on the bright side think what you'll be erning after 5-6 yrs providing you get through the course adn Validate>>>>>
If you went the other way and paid for your own course you get absolutly nothing!!
apart from an even bigger mortgage
still look on the bright side think what you'll be erning after 5-6 yrs providing you get through the course adn Validate>>>>>
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Okay.
new courses start at the college every 13 weeks. Each intake is a maximum of 34 trainees [at the moment, due to a limitation on the classroom size for the Basic course]. They carry out a course in Basic ATC which covers all the legal, Met, Navigation and Nav-aids, and general theory of ATC common to all disciplines. they also do some very basic ATC training on a Part-Task Simulator which covers very basic vectoring. The operative word is BASIC.
This lasts for 11 weeks and at the end they are streamed for their final discipline. Those going to Airports get a couple of weeks leave and a couple of weeks flying training, then onto the 13 week aerodrome course. those who are to go Area just get the leave and then start the Foundation AREA course. This lasts for 14 weeks, then another bit of leave [1-2 weeks] before the Advanced 12 week area course. They then head off to whichever unit they are to be posted to, with a brief airline ops famil at BA on the way. There will also be a simulator based airline famil unit which will go into the details of flight-deck operations.
The Airports gang either leave straight after the Aerodrome course if they are going to a London airport, or stay on for a further 12 week Approach radar course if they are going out into the sticks. The only other way through the college is for those destined for LTCC. Terminal Control can be performed with only an approach rating, so a small number will go straight from the Basic course to the Approach course, then out into TC for validation training.
Time at Bournemouth will now be between 6 months and 9 months maximum, with no significant gaps in the middle. The learning curve is steep, so be prepared to work in the evenings and at weekends.
But don't quote me.... This has changed a cople of times recently.
DwB
new courses start at the college every 13 weeks. Each intake is a maximum of 34 trainees [at the moment, due to a limitation on the classroom size for the Basic course]. They carry out a course in Basic ATC which covers all the legal, Met, Navigation and Nav-aids, and general theory of ATC common to all disciplines. they also do some very basic ATC training on a Part-Task Simulator which covers very basic vectoring. The operative word is BASIC.
This lasts for 11 weeks and at the end they are streamed for their final discipline. Those going to Airports get a couple of weeks leave and a couple of weeks flying training, then onto the 13 week aerodrome course. those who are to go Area just get the leave and then start the Foundation AREA course. This lasts for 14 weeks, then another bit of leave [1-2 weeks] before the Advanced 12 week area course. They then head off to whichever unit they are to be posted to, with a brief airline ops famil at BA on the way. There will also be a simulator based airline famil unit which will go into the details of flight-deck operations.
The Airports gang either leave straight after the Aerodrome course if they are going to a London airport, or stay on for a further 12 week Approach radar course if they are going out into the sticks. The only other way through the college is for those destined for LTCC. Terminal Control can be performed with only an approach rating, so a small number will go straight from the Basic course to the Approach course, then out into TC for validation training.
Time at Bournemouth will now be between 6 months and 9 months maximum, with no significant gaps in the middle. The learning curve is steep, so be prepared to work in the evenings and at weekends.
But don't quote me.... This has changed a cople of times recently.
DwB
Ohcirrej
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I cant see what all the fuss is about over pay anyway
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Not as such. it was decided [to universal agreement] that 10 hours of terror in a trauma-hawk didn't really help with the understanding of airways control and IFR traffic. With the demise of the universal aerodrome rating, Area trainees will now get flight simulator time to show them the mysteries of airways route flying and flight-deck ops, which is deemed [and I agree] far more pertinent to the job at hand. This of course means that all the studes don't get a fortnight in a caravan in Wales playing cards and drinking ale which was most agreeable but cost the company £120,000 per year.
DwB
DwB
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A question for DwB if I may-
You mention streaming at the end of basic training for selection of final discipline- could you elaborate on how this is done? is it based on examination results? top people get first choice or top people get most difficult postings? what are the different levels?
many thanks in advance.
You mention streaming at the end of basic training for selection of final discipline- could you elaborate on how this is done? is it based on examination results? top people get first choice or top people get most difficult postings? what are the different levels?
many thanks in advance.
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wnd
NATS being the kind considerate employer that it is, would you believe that the first criteria is individual preference. If 5 want to go Airports, and the course is slated to provide 5 for Airports, then they are generally the ones who get it.
Life is never that simple but the course managers do make a genuine effort to send people where they want to go. It depends of course on where NATS actually need people. Some courses have more variety of potential destinations than others, but most will be sending at least 1 to LHR and one to another London airport. Probably another two or three to regional airports [they get both aerodrome and approach rating] and about 3 a year to LTCC [just the approach rating]. Everyone else, grab an Area rating and go to Swanwick/Prestwick/Camberwick.
There is some selection for the different post-aerodrome course destinations based on ability, but the initial streaming occurs after only 3 months, so there isn't much of a chance to select on ability. everyone learns at different speeds, so the whizz-kids at the start may be down to the bottom of the class by graduation time.
Best to arrive at CATC and hope to validate somewhere. Wherever it is, you will have a blast [even ABZ]
[sorry ABZ - ].
DwB
NATS being the kind considerate employer that it is, would you believe that the first criteria is individual preference. If 5 want to go Airports, and the course is slated to provide 5 for Airports, then they are generally the ones who get it.
Life is never that simple but the course managers do make a genuine effort to send people where they want to go. It depends of course on where NATS actually need people. Some courses have more variety of potential destinations than others, but most will be sending at least 1 to LHR and one to another London airport. Probably another two or three to regional airports [they get both aerodrome and approach rating] and about 3 a year to LTCC [just the approach rating]. Everyone else, grab an Area rating and go to Swanwick/Prestwick/Camberwick.
There is some selection for the different post-aerodrome course destinations based on ability, but the initial streaming occurs after only 3 months, so there isn't much of a chance to select on ability. everyone learns at different speeds, so the whizz-kids at the start may be down to the bottom of the class by graduation time.
Best to arrive at CATC and hope to validate somewhere. Wherever it is, you will have a blast [even ABZ]
[sorry ABZ - ].
DwB
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so what's everyones views on the different disciplines?
I've heard tell that most controllers will swear that their own discipline is the best, but are there any distinct advantages / disadvantages to each one?
marmotte
I've heard tell that most controllers will swear that their own discipline is the best, but are there any distinct advantages / disadvantages to each one?
marmotte
