[Peetwo]

Breaking News - Addressing shortages

Courtesy KC, via AP emails:

To all members

Latest June BN – Shortage of Maintenance Personnel

No matter which way you look at it, permanent removal of the shortage of (licenced) aircraft maintenance engineers will only happen when the regulatory systems for trade training and licencing returns to a trade based licencing system.

• Australia once had a trade-based aircraft maintenance licencing system that enabled a basic licence with many ratings to be issued.
• That no longer applies.
• EASR current Part 66 additional categories and ratings fixed their problem with Part 66.

CASA is also providing a self-study system supported by many in industry, the issue of licences with exclusions, but it leaves individuals in no man’s land relating to career pathways (in academia).

An AQF qualification needs to be recognised by the licencing authority to provide school leavers with “career pathways”.

• “Career pathways” are provided by educators and licencing authorities to meet industry needs.

Within the current workforce we now have some licence holders that have aviation trade training and qualifications (AQF), those that hold licences without (AQF) qualifications, those that have licences with exclusions without AQF qualification, those that hold licences with exclusions with qualifications, those that lack skill qualifications but hold licences, those that do not have exclusions on licences but have no skill AQF qualifications covering the non-exclusions skills.

In other words, there is a disconnect between academia qualifications (DEWR/ASQA) and licencing knowledge/experience standards (CASA).

An educator recently put to me that having a licence with exclusions is like obtaining a Diploma without meeting all (AQF) qualifications.

Example:          Current licence holder does not have a propeller exclusion but applies for piston engine through a CASA approved Part 147 organisation.
              The MTO is required to include propellers to meet academia qualification and prove the qualification to CASA.

This is just one of a number of issues confronting the current licencing and trade system.

• Self-study and formal study leading to a licence outcome.
• Leaves individuals with mixed skill/knowledge additional licences and qualifications.
Adoption of the latest EASR Part 66 would enable ratings to be issued instead of exclusions.

Ratings would enable variable career pathways to be made available.

Career pathways will attract more applicants thus reducing the shortage.

The more licences and ratings available enable the specific experience for each/licence/rating to be attained easier
DCA was not stupid when it created the multi category ratings system. It gave us many tradespersons and licence holders.


Ken Cannane
Executive Director
AMROBA
Phone: (02) 97592715
Mobile: 0408029329
www.amroba.org.au
Safety All Around.

MTF...P2