[Peetwo]

QON for KC??

From CASA Estimates session, via YouTube:

Hansard:

Senator McKENZIE: Okay. I want to go to some of the licensed aircraft maintenance engineer issues. You've been at the forefront of significant staff shortages. This is a terrible acronym: LAME.

Ms Spence : LAMEs—'laymies'.

Senator McKENZIE: Okay. That gets us out of that! What's being done about the significant shortfall of licensed aircraft maintenance engineers within the aviation sector?

Ms Spence : We've taken a number of initiatives to try to address this issue. There was a report from the RAAA maybe six or nine months ago, and they recommended that one of the most important things to do was to introduce modular licensing. Previously you were required to have all your qualifications before you could actually sign off on aircraft maintenance. We introduced, in December, a modular licensing model, and I might ask Mr Marcelja to provide a little bit more detail about that and the other things that we've done.

Mr Marcelja : Maintenance personnel licensing sits within my area. The reforms in December that Ms Spence talked about allow you to get a licence earlier by not completing study for all of the different elements of licence. Typically you would need to complete about 13 modules over four years and get experience across everything to get a licence. The modular licence allows you to study the core subjects, get a licence, begin to work in the industry and then add to that licence as you progress. That was the reform that we worked on through last year and produced in December. At the moment we're focused on some initiatives around how we can help streamline foreign licensed engineers that want to come to Australia, and that's a work in progress.

Senator McKENZIE: So we have an accredited system up and running in the modular—

Ms Spence : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: That was a suggestion of the RAAA nine months ago. How many people have graduated so far?

Mr Marcelja : We think our first one is in the next couple of days, maybe the next week or so.

Senator McKENZIE: And how many, in total, are in the program?

Mr Marcelja : We don't have visibility of the total numbers, because most of the study is done through maintenance training organisations. We don't have accurate numbers of what's coming through the pipeline.

Ms Spence : How it works is: previously, the people who were training to be a LAME wouldn't be qualified until after about four years, whereas the modular licensing means they can stop at an earlier point, be qualified as a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer and start earning some money. They might not want to go into the more sophisticated types of operations, so they'll move out to regional Australia and do good things.

Senator McKENZIE: There are claims that CASA has put in place a lot of barriers to training licensed engineers. Is that the case?

Mr Marcelja : I think people saw it as quite a complex and lengthy system. If you were a young person, the prospect of four years plus training was one of the key issues that we were trying to address—to get through more quickly to make it more attractive to people—but we do have high standards. These are people that are signing off on the safety and airworthiness of aircraft, so it is an important role. We're keen to maintain that standard but make it easier for people to get into the system.

Senator McKENZIE: Have we got a fast-track procedure to enable those more experienced foreign maintenance engineers?

Mr Marcelja : Yes.

Senator McKENZIE: How quickly?

Mr Marcelja : That's a work in progress at the moment. We have three different initiatives we're working on for that one. The first one, which we think is—

Senator McKENZIE: Here I am thinking we'd actually solved the problem that some people had been worried about, but we haven't.

Mr Marcelja : Not yet.

Senator McKENZIE: So there isn't anything in place yet to fast-track foreign engineers?

Mr Marcelja : The modular licence does help, partly, because if you come with a foreign qualification we can say, 'Okay, you match these modules and you can get a licence.' We think it'll help, partly. We're doing extra work on how we can allow a licensed engineer from another country, where there are clearly high standards and good practices, to work under supervision or under the umbrella of an organisation that we monitor. We're looking at that as a fast track for a period of 12 months, while that engineer studies for a full licence.

Senator McKENZIE: Do they have to study in person?

Mr Marcelja : No, not necessarily. You can choose to, or you can do self-study—download textbooks and sit exams—or you can go and join a—

Senator McKENZIE: So you can be working remotely and complete your studies?

Mr Marcelja : Correct, yes.

Senator McKENZIE: How many providers offer that option, and at what cost?

Mr Marcelja : The self-study pathway is direct with us.

Senator McKENZIE: You can tell me exactly how much it costs, then.

Mr Marcelja : Yes. Cost-wise, for the exams that you need to pass, we charge about $70 or $80 and the provider that administers the exam might charge the same amount, so you're looking at probably $150 to $200 for an exam, multiplied seven or eight times. Under $2,000 would be our cost.

Senator McKENZIE: What about tuition?

Mr Marcelja : If you self-study, download the textbooks, sit exams and get your experience—the alternative is to join a maintenance training organisation. They can offer training in the classroom and practical training, and that's a commercially run venture. There are a lot of competing providers that do that.

Senator McKENZIE: Employers have been asking CASA to provide a fast-track procedure to enable those experienced licensed aviation engineers to be employed and obtain a CASA licence. Your evidence here today, which seems to be quite heartening—and I don't want to get too excited too early—is that that is on track and you're expecting your first graduate in a couple of days?

Mr Marcelja : For the modular licence, yes. We have three or four different initiatives running. The first one I talked about, which we think is significant, is in place. We have a couple more coming down the pipeline, which are focused on streamlining even more the internationally qualified people. That's the pathway that we've been asked by industry to focus on.

Ms Spence : That would be the more experienced LAMEs coming into the country—they don't have Australian qualifications, so how can we make it easier?

A comment in reply to the YouTube video:

@prussiaaero1802
1 day ago

At 8:20 - doing CASA self study modules towards LAME licence he mentions "get your experience." WHERE?????? That's the problem, WHO is giving these experience opportunities? Most(?) small LAME shops are just too busy to spend the required time training anyone or just can't be bothered with the hassle of it all.

 

Hmm...care to comment KC?? 

Via the AP email chains...  

AMROBA has been highlighting this situation for decades.

The reason why “you need to get experience” is because the only course available is not fit for purpose, based on airline competencies but no piston aeroplane and helicopter competencies for small aeroplanes and helicopters sectors. CASA proposes more exclusions to be added to the licence.  We totally reject that approach as it can be fixed by providing appropriate courses for each licence category & rating.

On the January 6, nearly 30 AMO representatives met with Ms Spence and told her the AME training and licencing system is broke.

It hasn’t produced AME licences to support general aviation aeroplanes and the helicopter industry.

They also told her they can only use the self-study pathway because formal training for these sectors are not fit for purpose.

This is not the optimal way to provide technical knowledge and skills to this profession considering their responsibilities.

CASA approves mainly NVET approved RTOs as Part 147 maintenance training organisations but not LAME basic training courses. Why approve for basic AME training?

The EASR system from where Part 66 was copied, provides all the courses details including course duration.

Part 66 regulations and Part 66 MoS provide for separate courses to what is currently provided for AME training.

One size does not fit all.

These AMOs also demanded a fast-track foreign LAME system, like NZ has, to keep some of them in business.

It is now June and this is still to be finalised and promulgated.

There are positive ways to correct this issue specified in CASR Part 66 & MoS, but not used by CASA.

The Part 66 MoS enables courses for the general aviation aeroplane and the helicopter sectors but not supported by CASA who approves the MTOs.

AMROBA’s website under Training is full of solutions.

Ken Cannane

Executive Director

AMROBA

Phone: (02) 97592715

Mobile: 0408029329

www.amroba.org.au

Safety All Around.

While on the subject of LAMEs and aircraft maintenance regulatory ructions, I note that the CASA's latest spin doctor (with absolutely NFI about which end of the aircraft the smoke comes out of -  ) and former used car salesman Marcelja, apparently had a bit to say to the AHIA membership on the soon to be introduced Su_Spence version of CASR Part 43??

Via Oz Flying:
 

Part 43 won't be Mandatory: CASA

5 June 2024



CASA Executive Manager Stakeholder Engagement Andreas Marcelja told the Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) this week that CASR Part 43 will not be mandatory once implemented.

Part 43 covers only those aircraft used in private or airwork operations, and is intended to remove the greater maintenance burden imposed on aircraft used in passenger-carrying operations. It will apply to both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.

Marcelja said that private and airwork operators would have the option to keep their aircraft in the higher category if they wanted.

"Our aim was to try and produce a ruleset that was appropriate for that kind of activity, particularly as we’re migrating airworthiness rules into the new CASR parts, so CAR 30 will eventually disappear and transition," he said.

"We wanted to disconnect the private and aerial work requirements from the air transport requirements, so not drag everyone up to an air transport requirement as we made those transitions.

"So [CASR Part] 43 makes a disconnect between air transport airworthiness and private and aerial work airworthiness. It gives people a choice."

CASR Part 43 was initially broadly welcomed by the aviation community, but as the ruleset and implementation get closer, reservations are starting to emerge, as was aired last week by the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Business Association (AMROBA).

AMROBA's withdrew support for the legislation, citing disparity with the US system Part 43 is said to be based on. 

"During consultation, the overwhelming feedback we received was that people felt the US system was the most appropriate one, so Part 43 in Australia was based on the US Part 43," Marcelja stressed.

"And what it will do is allow a LAME who is licensed to do most of the maintenance and services on a private and aerial work aircraft only, independently of an organisation. But it’s absolutely a choice rather than a requirement.

It recognises that trained LAMEs have the skills, knowledge and background to perform a range of aviation maintenance without organisational approvals and produces a layer of checks and balances through an inspection authority.

"It won’t just be any LAME who can do everything; there’ll be certain maintenance tasks that a LAME can do and there’ll be other tasks that need an inspection authority.

"It will also allow maintenance providers such as CAR 30 organisations to service aircraft under the 43 scheme if they choose to.

"Some aircraft owners may keep their aircraft out of the 43 scheme because they have a future desire to use that aircraft for charter or sell it for use under another activity."

CASA has said the new part was currently with a Technical Working Group and transitional rules were still under construction, but that CASR Part 43 was expected to be implemented in the last quarter of this year, with a Plain English Guide to be published at the same time.

Hmm...care to comment KC??    

MTF...P2