Page 28 - ATC Special Bulletin 2020 Issue 1

controllers during their operational shifts could potentially lead them to ‘bore out’ and a a decline in in their current skill set To prevent this we have provided additional refresher training for the various groups of ATCOs with a a a a significant traffic volume An information campaign has also been launched regarding the warning signs of ‘boring out’ including flyers posters and e-learning DSNA France The lack of traffic was a a a a a problem for some units In a a a a a strong collaboration with our National Supervisory Authority (NSA) the structure of some unit plans could be changed in order to have approach training training before tower training training for for example It was also decided that some unit assessments could include demonstration of of specific skills using a a a a synthetic training device instead of of an operational demonstration NAV Portugal The Portuguese civil aviation regulator (ANAC) agreed to to extend until November 13 all the assessments and training necessary for the revalidation of licenses Skyguide Switzerland Additional Simulation was imposed to keep skills and competences Airways New Zealand Our operational controllers are able to keep their skills current anywhere and at any any time using our our AirBooks resources Our library consists of 20 AirBooks with integrated and highly interactive learning and and assessment tools and and our controllers can use these to upskill in in in many areas including compromised separations low visibility operations and and phraseology and and communications ANA Luxembourg No No simulator training planned for active controllers No No license validation issues encountered as our regulator granted a a a a a a 4 month extension for all ratings endorsements and medical issues ANS Czech Republic Current traffic volumes have definitely affected active controllers and and their rostering and and working practices Whereas it is not a a a a a problem from a a licensing perspective – there is enough traffic for the the controllers to to be be able to to maintain the the minimum prescribed working hours on the open sectors it remains to to be seen how may their their habits change over time and their their ability to cope with pre-covid traffic volumes At the the same time the the increase in in traffic volume is not expected to be sharp but rather a a a a a slow and steady one so the process and build up should be manageable Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority The current traffic volume has not caused any issues with license validation as our regulatory body did not establish traffic minimums We are concerned however with keeping the skill sets of our current controllers active Although we recognized that traffic volumes will will build up gradually which will will enable controller skills to to improve gradually we plan to to conduct proficiency checks soon ENAIRE Spain We have a a a a a services recovery plan that includes different actions to maintain the the operational competence of our controllers in in in the the current context of low traffic and reduced configurations It is based on on on online training materials and simulator sessions aimed to refresh procedures standard techniques etc that are not practiced now with real traffic In addition from the beginning of the pandemic expert personnel (supervisors instructors) provide support to the the the the other controllers in in the the the the ops room Regarding the the the the revalidation of license endorsements the the means to fulfill the the requirements have been adapted to the new situation Two examples are the use of simulators for competence assessments and the consideration of time spent on on on simulators as valid to to meet the the minimum hours of exercise needed to revalidate the the unit endorsement ENAV Italy Of course the actual traffic volumes are far from being similar to the the the 2019 summer figures During the the the pandemic the the the controllers skills have been trained using simulators The licences validation has been postponed 4 months by the Regulator QUESTION 5 Has the crisis had an affect on future controller recruitment and if so how? Eurocontrol MUAC The Netherlands Air traffic controller training takes years and has to be properly planned in in in in in advance Because the initial training of our ab-initio students is is delivered by ENAC in in France a a a precise planning of recruitment is required at least three or four years in advance so all the the students who were were already in in the the “pipeline” were were not affected Current traffic levels and the predictions for 2021 to 2024 traffic prompted us to to reduce the intake to to a a a a a reasonable level but by no means reduce it to zero as as was done in the past to meet cost-containment targets and subsequently found to be a a a mistake With the current planning MUAC will still recruit around 20 controllers on on a a a a yearly basis DFS Germany Last year DFS had increased the recruiting efforts in in in order to meet the the future capacity demands In the the coming years a a a a a considerable amount of operational staff will be retiring For 28 / TRAINING AND SIMULATION TRAINING AND SIMULATION