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AMROBA July Newsletter: CASA Created Shortage of Maintenance Personnel - Our safety concerns

Courtesy KC, via the AP emails...

To all members,

I refer you to our latest July Newsletter that explains why CASA, by not adopting all of EASR Parts 66/147, has created this critical shortage of LAMEs.

Australia’s competency-based training system is based on knowledge, practical skills, and course nominated duration in hours. All of these personnel safety standards are in EASR Parts 66/147.

Because there has been no specific general aviation aeroplane and helicopter VET courses developed, apprenticeships have taken a nosedive.

Why won’t CASA adopt EASA changes to EASR Parts 66/147 to make the regulations more beneficial to the helicopter and general aviation sectors?

Why are government regulations restricting the growth of general aviation and the helicopter sectors by not promulgating EASR’s course standards?

• Why hasn’t the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) promulgated Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME) training course safety standards, VET compatible, for these sectors?
  

• These missing “personnel training course safety standards” are in the European Aviation Safety Regulations (EASR) from which CASA partially copied the AME licencing system in 2006.
  
• No specific courses have been available since then.
  

Managers responsible within CASA won’t comply with Vocational Education Training (VET) regulatory standards and promulgate the “duration of each trade/licence course” standard or the ratio of knowledge/practical skills standard from the EASRs where only the CASR Part 66 ‘knowledge standards’ were adopted in 2006.

• VET course template requires these missing standards so approved competency-based trade/licencing courses, applicable to general aviation aeroplanes and helicopters, can be developed and approved. ASQA responsibility.
  
• * After nearly 2 decades, employers are still waiting for these NVET courses, so apprentices can be employed, leading to trade AQF qualifications and CASA licences in general aviation and the helicopter sectors.
  

Practical training and nominated course duration in ‘hours’ standards are specified in detail by ICAO and the EASRs from where CASA extracted the knowledge standards for each AME licence.

AMROBA has met CASA many times, made many submissions and the only answer that we get: “Competency based training courses do not have any duration times.”

This was even after VET courses approval regulations and VET course template was provided to CASA. DEWR offered to educate but CASA did not take up the offer.

The government has passed laws requiring the knowledge, practical training and nominated course hours be provided so VET courses can be developed and approved by the education regulator, Australian Skills Qualification Authority (ASQA).

CASA, as the licencing authority, has only provided the knowledge standards based on EASR Part 66/147 but have not provided the EASR practical skills or nominated course standards.

EASA, FAA, TCCA, ASEAN, NZ, ICAO all provide standards for practical training and nominated course duration.

Is CASA management deliberately creating the shortage of maintenance personnel?

• Is it unwritten government policy?
  

EASR Parts 66/147 partially adopted in 2006, training of personnel in the helicopter and general aviation sectors have collapsed. No apprentice pathways exist.

The European system has 3 mechanical training pathways supporting 4 licences and 2 avionic training pathways supporting 2 methods to attain an avionic licence: a progressive licence and a full avionic licence. The EASRs even have a general aviation aeroplane licence, B3, not adopted but would provide great benefits to general aviation.

The Productivity Commission states that “good regulation is regulation which, in achieving its goal, brings the greatest net benefit to the community. But the little word ‘net’ is important. It signifies that regulation must be judged not only by its beneficial effects, but also by the costs that arise in achieving them.”

Fact: CASR Parts 66/147 has brought no benefits to these sectors of aviation, it has virtually closed the training pathways for general aviation and the helicopter sectors.

• This is why we have a critical shortage of LAMEs.
  
• This is why the apprenticeship participation has nosedived. Refer Newsletter.
  

The EASR B2L and B3 licences would provide great benefits to general aviation and the helicopter sectors, big beneficiaries.  Why hasn’t CASA adopted?

Is it the same pig headedness they show with CASR Part 43 where CASA does not intend to adopt FAR Part 65, Subpart E, Repairmen, and add it to CASR Part 66 to remain harmonised with FAR Part 43?

“Civil Aviation regulations should be consistent with other Australian laws, agreements and international obligations.”

Simple fix, add EASR Part 147 Appendix 1 to CASR Part 66 MoS so the VET system can provide trade/licencing BVET training courses to be provided by TAFE colleges and RTOs as they used to provide when we had no shortages.
                                               

Ken Cannane

Executive Director
AMROBA
Phone: (02) 97592715
Mobile: 0408029329
www.amroba.org.au
Safety All Around.

MTF...P2