Aviation training provider CAE has officially opened a training centre for air traffic controllers to help ANSP Nav Canada meet its recruitment needs.
The Air Traffic Services (ATS) Training Centre at the CAE site in Montreal, Canada will host the initial training of around 150 controller recruits a year for Nav Canada.
The recruits will study topics such as ATC tower management and en-route handling of flights during four to six-month courses at the Centre, taught by expert instructors in the classroom and using simulators. If successful they will go on to receive on-the-job training at Nav Canada and then be licensed by Transport Canada.
The setup of the ATS Training Centre, which accepted its first students last year, is part of a deal that will see CAE train 478 Nav Canada recruits over the next three years.
The CAE-delivered training is identical to Nav Canada’s and will supplement the ANSP’s own in-house training program, which will train 1,000 controllers during the same time.
Nav Canada manages the world’s second-largest airspace and employs around 2,500 ATCOs and Flight Service Specialists – staff who deliver airport advisory services to aviation users at remote airports in Canada.
Speaking at the ATS Training Centre’s opening ceremony today in Montreal, Mark Cooper, president and CEO of Nav Canada said, “Air travel is a cornerstone of Canada’s social and economic vitality. This partnership exemplifies our dedication to operational excellence.
“It’s imperative that we rebuild our staffing capacity and we are doing something really different here with CAE. We want to be one of the first ANSPs in the world to embrace new technologies and collaborations like this one.”
The deal is the first time an external company has delivered controller training in Canada and is still an unusual arrangement in the ATC sector.
ANSPs, including Nav Canada usually train controllers in-house over several years. However, as air traffic volumes increase many ANSPs are facing controller shortages and are looking for help recruiting and training. For example, the FAA in the USA has a shortage of around 3,000 controllers, despite hiring around 1,800 last year.
The opening of the ATS Training Centre also marks a milestone for CAE, which is best known for its aircraft simulators. In the last 20 years the company has expanded into providing training services for pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians as well as defense and security forces.
Marie-Christine Cloutier, vice president – strategy, performance and marketing at CAE and head of the new ATS division said, “We are very proud of this first partnership with Nav Canada and are excited to help them train more controllers and flight service specialists over the coming three years.
“The next step for us is that we are seeking to help ANSPs elsewhere in the world solve their training problems, by supporting their in-house programs in the same way we are working with Nav Canada.
“We have a global footprint we plan on leveraging to deliver this type of training around the world.”
CAE has more than 240 sites in 40 countries around the world and employs 13,000 people.