Assessment Centre
 

Is anyone on here booked in for an Assessment Centre in Melbourne next week?

I know 'what happens at the Assessment Centre stays at the Assessment Centre' but if anyone has any useful last minute tips? :ok:

April Accomodation
 

If anyone is looking for accomodation I have a townhouse available for rent in Bellfield. 18km from the airport and 10km from the city. Takes about 25 mins to get to work in the morning.

PM me for details.

Good luck to all those starting course soon!

Hey Trance, when did you get booked into a Melbourne Assessment (lucky bugger!), and how long ago was your phone interview?

I got an email mid March (as I would imagine others would have got as well) saying that I could expect to hear from AsA soon, to book a phone interview, and they gave a list of Assessment Centre dates & locations, but there were none scheduled for Melbourne. As I've said before, it wouldn't bother me at all, travelling to Sydney, but I'd sure as hell would love to get that call to book an interview! Just wanting to know if you were part of this "group", or are you are well ahead us?

Has anybody else out there, that got the email in March, being contacted for a phone interview yet? Man, I am champing at the bit, and the waiting is painfull....... :ouch:

Str8shooter: I for the same email. I also just got a new email to book the phone interview :)

Anyone know the sorts of questions they're going to ask? Booked in for tuesday!

June 14th 2011 Course
 

Amended expected departure date: evening of the 17th April syd---> mel

Anyone in course #52 commencing 14th June want to meet up? (others welcome also xD)

Flatmate for sale~!!!
Anyone interested pm me~!!!

Hey str8shooter,

I was booked into the Assessment Centre back in February, following the phone interview I completed in January. Sounds like I must be 1 or 2 groups before you. I first applied about a year ago now, if that's any help.

Assessment centre day
 

I'm another one from Melbourne who will be travelling to Sydney, Brisbane or Perth for their assessment day. I have my phone interview next week. Looking forward to getting the finals stages of the (long) process under way. I thought the assessment day was the final stage but it seems the interview is held only if you pass the assessments.
I hold a CPL but haven't flown in years so I only remember so much about talking to ATC. I'm thinking i'd better go and visit ATC in Melbourne and have a chat with a few controllers to get a better idea about the job. Does anyone know how easy it is to visit ATC?

Hi Gizmo, good luck with getting through the process. During the lead up to my interviews etc I went to visit the tower at YMMB, their phone numbers in ERSA if you have one. I called up and asked told them my situation and asked if I could come by to have a look, they were more than happy to play along. ASA also hold pilot info nights at tulla, which I also went to one of, lots of good info and they show you around the ENR centre. Again I sent them an email telling my story and they were able to fit me into a slot that came up. (need to be a pilot though and have an ASIC I think?)
CPL(A) or CPL(H)?

Best of luck
Kieran

Cheers for the advice Kieran. I'll get onto Moorabbin (did my flight training there) and Tulla to see if they'll let me come and have a look for a few hours.
Looking at some previous posts it seems you are starting your course very shortly. Good luck with the course and hope to see you around one day.

Yup, start next week, pretty close now. Heres a link for the pilot info nights Airservices Australia - Projects & Services - Industry Forums - Pilot information nights
Also, out of ERSA, Essendon TWR is 03 9374 1678 and the ASA switch board number is 1300 301 120 (I cant find the YMMB TWR number).

Assessment
 

Hi I have just done my phone interview and I have been booked for an assessment centre at Sydney on the 15th of June 2011. Can anyone give me some tips as to what to expect at the assessment centre on the particular date. Also how long will it take for them to let us know the results. Can anyone suggest me as to if selected what should one take. Tower or Enroute. Hope to get a clear and fast reply from you all guys out there. Also how is the salary structure for the air traffic controllers.:)

1. Tower
2. Tower
3. Tower

:)

YAASB, you seem to be in the know.... will the school be boosting it's staff of instructors and associated support people to cater for all this influx?

No. "There are no more resources." Controllers can't be released from the field to instruct. The sim can't take more trainees unless you work doggos. There aren't enough classrooms. The new sim now won't be ready until late 2012. All the chickens have come home to roost.

well im normally all for bitching about the college, but dont agree with knackers.

Ive seen in the last year, many new instructors join the college to accomodate the influx of trainees. Still heaps of stuff needed but they are doing something

I see. How many are actual air traffic controllers? Not were, are. :uhoh:

well i dont know everyones back story but some of them have said they are straight from the field.

Whether they're out 2 months or 2 years I think its more important how they teach anyway.You can have a great atcer whose knowledge is huge but unable to pass on that information.

There is an agreement that was signed recently between ATC group and the Learning Academy.
I was a MOU stating that the Academy would deliver "X" amount of trainees per year, and in return ATC would provide "X" amount of instructors to allow the training to be delivered.
Both parties understand the importance of getting the numbers up and providing quality candidates; it benefits everyone.

Part of the reason there is a course going on in Brisbane at the moment is so Instructors can be sourced from Qld without having to transplant them to Melbourne.

So, the upshot is that there are more instructors joining the Academy to help out. Some are long term and some are short term secondments, but all in all the numbers are increasing to cope with the influx of trainees.

I had my ph interview last week, and was notified on Monday of success to the next level - attendance at the Assessment Centre in Sydney...... woohoo!!
Although I have to adimit to being a bit nervous......., I have no idea what to expect really. I've been booked to attend on 16 June, 8.30am - 5pm. Anybody else from Melbourne going up on that day?
I am thinking of flying up the night before, and booking a budget room, nearby the venue somewhere. I'm happy to co-ordinate with someone who might be interested in sharing cab costs from the airport, & accom, to keep cost down? PM me if interested..........

YAASB, thanks for the positive feedback! I'ts helpfull......, and sounds really encouraging for someone like me, hoping to get a "look-in". Hate the negativity (much of which seems ill informed), so often posted in this forum..........!!! :ugh:

Assessment centre day
 

Have got the email to say I've passed my phone interview. I'm booked in for my assessment day in Sydney on the 27th of June. Looking forward to it but also bricking it a little at the same time. :ok:

True, but practical ATC skills (as opposed to the theory side of things) are very reliant on continual practice. Being taught control technique by someone who hasn't done it themselves for several years is far from ideal. It doesn't matter how good their teaching technique is if they aren't teaching you what you need to know.

le Pingouin
 

le Pingouin

The instructors are teaching what you need to know to pass the academy course. They are required to hold endorsements for the airspace/aerodromes they are teaching and are themselves checked regularly similar to field controllers. They also undergo an instructor's course before starting in the classroom/simulator. They have also seen the simulator exercises a number of times so they can concentrate on what you need to learn and teach to that, knowing where the "traps" are and assess your handling.

Although instructors may not have been in the field for a while, they will have a comprehensive knowledge of ATC procedures so they can prepare you for your final posting. E.g. a tower instructor will take you through radar towers, regional class D and urban D. You need to learn it all. An instructor direct from the field will have worked only one of these for years.

Approaching the course with your "far from ideal" is not the way to start.

To those who have been accepted into the course: Roughly how long did it take between attending an Assessment Centre and getting your results?

I just attended the assessment day in Sydney so I can pass on a little information which may be of help.
Logistics: First up, book your flights and accommodation as soon as you can. I flew up the day before so I would not have to worry about getting there on time. I stayed in a hotel about 10 minutes walk from the venue. The venue is only a one minute walk from North Sydney train station and this is only about 1/2 hour train trip from the airport. I had an 8.45 flight from Sydney to give myself plenty of time.
On the day, a young lady from the Gold Coast spent all day worrying if she would make her 6.30 flight. Finally she decided to leave early so she could make her flight. Unfortunately she missed one of the tests and will now have to wait a few months till she can do this test in Brisbane. If you get this stuff sorted now, less to worry about later.

As for the day itself, the Air Services guys were great and do their best to make the day more relaxing. You can't really prepare for the tests, all you can do is be well rested and ready for the day and just really be yourself. We don't know what they are looking for and there is no feedback given on the day.
I now have to sit back and patiently wait to hear back from them

fujii,

Is what they are teaching up to date? Are MBZs and GAAP Towers still in the curriculum? Are out of date sep standards still in the curriculum? It is okay to say they are teaching what you need to know to pass the academy course, but is the academy course up to date?
Has ASAs total balls up of the last 10+ years in regards to training been the big contributor to the less than 40% check out rate?
Has the 'exNAB Genius" further destroyed ASAs ability to replace the retirement tsunami that is about to be realised.
Is a rating on a fictitious piece of airspace with fictitious pilots equal to a current rating in the real world. Before you get excited fujii, I personally know many of the instructors (good people on the whole, and they will know who I am on this forum). I reckon all will agree, that all things being equal ( ability to impart knowledge, etc) that the best instructor is the one with recent real world experience.

Rubbish, procedures change. If the College can't keep the curriculum up to date due to a lack of bodies and an incompetent boss then they are not preparing the trainees for final field posting.
How many years ago did MBZs go the way of the dinosaur? When did we get rid of visual seperation about FL125? All of this is still in the Academy Course.

Fujii, it would be great for current controllers to have a break from 24/7/365 controlling and deliver the training to the ab-initios, but this won't happen because ASA has been taken over by people who are large on 'big picture', 'worlds best practice', and 'continuous improvement' whilst lining their own pockets.
These individuals realise that the government cannot let ASA 'fail', alot like the RAAF, and also realise that the government cannot admit that the government lacked any kind of oversight of the disaster.
When it comes tumbling down, the architects of the stuff-up, will be rewarded with promotions, directorships to cover up the train wreck. These narcissistic individuals realise that there are enough people below them who actually give a sh!t and that these people, who have been shafted for years, will fix up the disaster that the expense account rorters created.
This is not a slur on those who are delivering the training to the ab-initios, they are doing this in spite of the train wreck ASA have become under the current CEO, who continues to pretend that he is fixing the stuff-ups of the past CEO. Six years now, that argument is getting very old.

Max1,

GAAP still exists.

Famous college words: "Do it this way, but in the real world you would do it like this...."

All instructors and blippys are great, but what they have to work with is limited.

Hey Bradster...., thanks for the advice, although it seems you and I think alike......, scary huh! :} I'm booked in for 16 June in Syd, and yes, I have already booked my flights & accom......., got in early. I'll be arriving in Syd the evening before, and I'm booked into the Vibe Hotel, which I believe is only about a 10 min walk from the venue. My return flight departs Syd at 7.45pm, so I hope that gives me plenty of time to get a taxi back to the airport, from Nth Syd? They say the assessment goes until 5pm, was that your experience?
Anyway, thanks again for the feedback......, I'm sure it will help others. And, most of all......, GOOD LUCK!! Keep us posted........

Max1, MBZs are most certainly not in the Academy curriculum. Vis sep, lat sep and any other sep you care to mention is on the whole kept up to date. There is an SME for each subject who keeps the content up to date with MATS, AIP and NAPM. PM me if you want clarification.

Cheers,

NFR.

It depends, some people heard back relatively quickly whilst others (me included) waited >4 weeks to hear anything. It's probably worth noting that just because it's been 3 or 4 weeks doesn't mean that you've made it through, bad news takes just as long unfortunately.

I started this week on course 50, one year and five days since I initially applied.

NFR,

You seem involved. Maybe ask the latest ab-initio courses whether they got instruction and presentations that included MBZs, GAAP towers( rather than Class D) and vis sep above FL125.
PM me if you want further details.
I want the ab-initios to get a relevant and up-to-date course, I want them all to check out on sectors, I want ASA to treat them well, I want our Air Traffic System to serve the Australian public properly.
My frustration is aimed at those in ASA who don't realise/care that we are there for the airlines, GA and the Australian public. Not the other way around.

PM sent Max. I can only speak for the enroute stream material, but I know that the point you raise about vis sep is certainly taught and simulated correctly in the current curriculum.

Cheers,

NFR.

fujii
 

But how does any of that address the transition from college to real world? How does it address the relatively high failure rate of trainees in the field in recent years? Maybe it's getting better but there seems to have been a large disconnect between what's required in the college & what's required in the field. Is the training missing the mark? Certainly looks that way from personal observation. More focussed on throughput than quality?

I've sat behind very experienced controllers who have been away from active traffic for prolonged periods doing roving checks & such & the loss of skill is positively frightening.

You said it brother!

Attitude
 

Hey str8shooter, first up, also consider the train, 1 minute walk from venue, 1/2 hr to domestic terminal, $15.50, no traffic worries.
I finished at 5.00pm as did another person. The other 4 still had one test left to wait for, finish time unknown.
Another interesting thing, only 2 of the 6 were from Sydney.
4 of the 6 assessment tasks were not computer based, this included the ATC simulation. One of the computer test was just re-doing the online test, to confirm you did it. The other computer test had some practice so you were prepared.

My Attitude to the day;
Preparation: Do stuff to keep my mind sharp and plenty of exercise to keep body good and help keep boost brain.
On the day: I tried to look at is as a bit of fun and a challenge. A small adventure if you like. If I succeed, fantastic. If not, its not the end of the world.
I tried lots of deep breathing to stay relaxed. We had the opportunity to chat with the Air traffic controller assessors and learn a little.

I will keep you posted as to my results, hoping for the best, expecting the worst

NFR,
PM sent.

I've had a phone interview and am nervously awaiting to see if I get to the next stage. The lady said she'd be in touch "shortly" but that was over a week ago. Does anyone know the percentages of people who get to each stage? Is the phone interview something that weeds out most of the people or is it just a formality to ensure you sound half intelligent?

Shortly at ASA could be anything up to 6 months. Get used to it.

I got my notification by email within a week, but I'm not sure that means anything really. I think they'd almost certainly let you know if you didn't get through, and right through my application process (it's been 16 mths since my initial application went in), I've held the view that "no news is good news"........, so I'd say: be patient, you should hear something one way or the other.

Hello,

Just in case ...!

Does anyone know how many years, after training, you have to work with AsA before leaving?

Thanks