Hi mdk2015,
The next Enroute course for this year starts in July. After that the next Enroute will start in January 2018.

I've been doing shift work for as along as I can remember. I am all too aware of the fatigue that comes with it.
Despite this, your comments do not fill me with confidence. In fact they make me worried that I've set upon this path with misguided intentions and nothing but misery ahead of me. Is it really that bad?

Hi,

Does anybody have any idea when recruitment for international ATCOs might begin again?

Thanks

@247 - Makes two of us. Im sitting here waiting for the next international ad.
So far, all my research has yielded a blank. No news when next there will be an international posting.

Fingers crossed they need some experienced Tower controllers!

No.

It's possible most of the time to swap shifts with colleagues if you're willing and flexible; at least in the groups I've worked in. Morning shifts followed by overnight (doggo) shifts have been removed from most groups rosters.
I would never go back to working the same shift every day.

Best Way to ASA Melbourne
 

Hello,

I am a new migrant and living in Melbourne - I am starting at Airservices Melbourne on Monday but since I do not have a license yet I will be commuting. If I am coming from terminal 4, is the best way to go to ASA tower really is taking a cab? Thanks!

Unless you know someone who can give you a lift, a taxi is the only way.

A few people ride bikes to work - you can have a shower if you get a sweat up!

I've experienced problems getting taxis to take me from the terminal to the tower. They want to pick up a higher fare, say to Dandenong/Frankston. I've had some success going upstairs to the taxi drop-off at Departures and asking if they'll take me around to the tower. Since they are heading that way anyway, to the taxi rank, they'll often say ok.

Hello !
rumour has it that AsA is currently changing its mind regarding foreign experienced controllers... Is there anything official ?

Maybe someone has realised that the 457 Visas are for 4 years and at the end of that time you need to start the process all over again!!

I'm sorry I don't get your point...
If I understand correctly, PR is possible after 4 years and most applicants stay, so no need to start it all over again, I mean it's not like the guys are leaving after 4 years, are they ?

Hi, JackD!

The 'problem' could be the age. If you're under 50 when you complete your first 2 years of your 4-year contract, you can apply for the permanent residence visa, so you can be offered a permanent contract by ASA at the end of the initial 4 year contract. If you're over 50, you would have to depend on ASA's sponsorship at the end of the 4 year period to apply for the permanent visa, which they can not guarantee ...

OK thanks for that answer...
So you're still understaffed, they just decided to limit or stop hiring internationals ?

AsA certainly has changed its mind regarding foreign experienced controllers. I received an email this morning stating that the Skills shortage list has changed and my planned employment will no longer proceed.

wow that's bad... so you were planned and they cancelled everything ? (can't PM you :( ).
Is it cancelled, or postponed ?

That is absolutely shocking if they've literally offered you a job and then rescinded the offer just like that...

The skills shortage list is a government thing. If ATC is taken off the list that changes visa type eligibility and hence eligibility for employment in Australia. See https://www.employment.gov.au/occupa...es-information

ATC seems still to be on the CSOL (Consolidated skilled occupancy list)... and apparently staff numbers aren't so good, especially if you look a couple of years ahead, so why would they remove it ?

Political scoring. Forign workers have been a key issue umong public.

JackD
Sorry, ATC is removed from the CSOL. See https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Work/...ed-occupations.

Yes, line ATCs always feel that there should be more bodies, but obviously management strikes the balance (arguably getting it right or otherwise) between the cost of staffing to slightly over 100% and keeping the ship running with a bit of resourcing tension to avoid staffing inefficiencies creeping in.

There's a long pipeline of citizen applicants to feed future demand. Non citizens with ATC quals are generally only recruited when there is a critical shortage that requires people to be on board faster than the normal ab initio training timeframes.

Skilled occupations lists
List of removed occupations

Occupations entirely removed from the list of eligible skilled occupation on 19 April 2017 are listed below.

Occupation ANZSCO Code
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Worker 411511
Actor 211111
Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers NEC 211199
Aeroplane Pilot 231111
Air Traffic Controller 231112
etc etc

Here's the link....Pity, hope it doesn't bite down the road...
Were quite of few of us here at DXB waiting for this year's applications to open

Wow, that came close for me!

I declined their offer a year ago, main reason was not having many chances to get a PR visa necessary to apply for a permanent contract with AsA (+50 years when the offer was made).

With this change, I think my chances would have been nil at the end of the 4 year contract. Having teen age children, and jobless over 50, and having to relocate once more, bad combination ...

Good luck to those that made it there, all the best!

Lssar

Not the only change:

"On 18 April 2017, the Government announced that the Temporary Work (Skilled) visa (subclass 457 visa) will be abolished and replaced with the completely new Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa in March 2018."

Link.

I recommend a deep research based on personal circumstances before applying.

Lssar

Yes, just saw that.
Something was smelling very bad... there we go.
there'll be a couple of tricky situations I guess...

the very latest.

Going from bad to worse..

I turned down an offer from Airservices as well, due personal reasons, have been regretting it ever since. Until now...

To add on

Trainees currently on position at various other stations are being told their visas will not be extended and to expect to return home.

Other people in the queue to leave their respective countries and move to ASA, have had their signed offers cancelled at the 11th hour.

On a side note, I've noticed their paid Trainee Technical Officer pathway has quietly slid into the abyss at some point - all references to it in the Careers section have vanished completely.

Hi, I've been reading this thread extensively over the past 18 months while completing my diploma in Aviation Theory. In that time I've only seen one application opening for ATC trainees. I've given my email address to Airservices to be notified of any openings but it's been a long time since I've seen anything. Does anyone have any information about when ASA will be accepting new applications? I also plan on contacting them directly

Hi Cirrus. In a similar position to you. I emailed Airservices last month regarding the fact that there has not been an application intake in quite a while. They replied saying that they hadn't been advised (at the time) as to when the next intake will be. Just told me to keep an eye on the website.

Unfortunately the rate of training has been cut right back, along with a stack of other stuff. There are still courses being run but considerably fewer of them and there are more than enough people already in the pipeline to fill the reduced number of course placements. Sorry I don't have any specific information for you either.

Thanks for that le Pingouin. I assumed that might have been the case. Still needing 80 new recruits a year according to the workforce plan however, but that'd probably put a lot of strain on the training centre.

I thought that might be the case. Thank you to you both for your replies

From the article:

Airservices Australia boss Jason Harfield has insisted the Turnbull government’s scrapping of the 457 visa would have no impact on the safety of the air traffic control system.

During this week’s Senate estimates hearings, Mr Harfield said the changes would impact “just under 40, I think it’s 38” of about 1100 air traffic controllers and the figures included trainees who were not yet fully qualified.

“Some of them were originally on 457 visas but have converted across to a different type of visa,” Mr Harfield said.

“We are just working through them individually, but I can guarantee that there will be no impact to the safety or operations of the air traffic control system,” he said.

The comments came after Senator Nick Xenophon said concerns had been put to him that the changes created “serious implications for air traffic control in this country and that a number of experienced recruits had been told they would not be able to stay as air traffic controllers”.

Under the government’s visa shake-up, announced last month, dumped 457 visas will be replaced by a new type of temporary skill shortage visa.

Air traffic controllers are on the list of skilled occupations that were removed because of the changes.

Pressed by Senator Xenophon, Mr Harfield said there was “capacity in the rosters and we’ve done that assessment that we are able to continue to maintain service provision during that time as we work through all of this”.

The comments are likely to fuel debate about how the aviation sector will be affected by the 457 visa changes, which take effect from March next year.

Regional Express has claimed the changes to the visa program will lead to a reduction in air services as it cuts pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers from the list.

But Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said she had told Rex deputy chairman John Sharp there could be a review in the event of genuine shortages.



Best wishes for those 38/40 colleagues that took the leap, hope all ends up well for them and their families.

Hi all,
Has anyone heard any update or been invited to attend the next round
of Assessment Centres for 2017? And if so what month?

Hi all,
Is anyone on the Sep tower course?

Hi Shep - have PM'd you.

Sent a message to Airservices. They just told me they were reviewing operational needs of course. Might end up just going through Air Force as an ATC and transfer eventually to a civilian ATC.