The August 2011 issue of Australian Aviation magazine has published an article highlighting the shortage of personal in three critical aviation professions.
The August 2011 issue of Australian Aviation magazine has published an article highlighting the shortage of personal in three critical aviation professions.
One of the professions included is Air Traffic Control. Australian Aviation forecast the loss of 200 Air Traffic Controllers employed by Airservices Australia by 2013. A further 330 employees from the Air Traffic Control group are forecast to leave Airservices Australia between 2013 and 2015. The losses are attributed to natural attrition and retirements. Currently Airservices Australia claims to employ about 900 Air Traffic Controllers. Based on these numbers approximately 60% of controllers are forecast to leave Airservices Australia in the next four years.
Air Traffic Controllers are trained in house by Airservices Australia at the Melbourne Airservices Learning Academy located at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne. The course length is at present 18 months long which includes basic and on the job training. Successful graduates are then employed in the major centres located at Melbourne or Brisbane or at a Control Tower at one of 28 locations around Australia.
Airservices Australia currently has the goal of training 100 controllers a year. Even at a 100% pass rate, which is greater than the target success rate of 80%, it will only provide 400 controllers over the next four years to offset the projected loss of 550 for a net loss of at least 150 controllers or 20% of the current workforce.
For more information on ATC careers with Airservices Australia visit http://www.airservicesaustralia.com/careers/atc/default.asp