Challenging Task to Produce Licensed Personnels

The traditional production of certifying personal for aircraft maintenance was from the industry itself. Workers were recruited from high school and learn the basic skills while working for the airlines. This was the situation in the early development of the airlines.

If you were the view the original ICAO document of 1944, it was talking abut personal licensing. That mean the responsibility for the safety of the aircraft lies within the personal. As the development of technology advanced, it was obvious that an individual was not in position to handle the safety issued of the aircraft. As such the responsibilities was passed to the organisation. It was the airlines that were responsible, the MRO were not created as yet.

If you can reflect back, in 1970s and 80s, there was negligible number of Training Schools that produced Licensed Aircraft Engineers. The trainings were done by the airlines and the assessment and certification was by the civil aviation authorities. The financing of the training was by the airlines. In some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, the governments were early to recognize the importance of these type of training,

With the EASA system, the role to produce the certifying maintenance personnel is on the approved training school. The role of civil aviation authority is more supervisory rather than operational. The ATO (approved training school) trains and assess the students. The DCA control the ATO. The school apply for the license from DCA or CAA. This had caused a number of issues that need to be handled by the school.

1. The school has to play two roles, the trainer as well as the examiners. The school will recruit the students, train them and examine them.

2. The school has to get it right, if the passing rate is too low, it is detrimental to the school. Can effort or even able to play the role of the examination authority, and exercise its power fairly. It has yet to be tested in the local situation.

This is still an open challenge and failure can affect the safety of the airlines.