IATA introduces CBT-A

TRAINING FOR REALITY

CBTA • COMPETENCY-BASED TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT IS COMING FAST. IATA HAS SOME GUIDANCE AND SERVICES TO OFFER TO HELP THE AIR TRANSPORT INDUSTRY MEET THE DEADLINE

IT SEEMS SENSIBLE to assume that all training should aim to ensure that students are properly equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their responsibilities. That is the case whatever the trainee is doing, whether it is refilling the coffee machine at Starbucks or packaging dangerous goods for shipment.

There has, though, long been a feeling that training in the dangerous goods arena does not always deliver the desired outcomes. Time after time, accidents and incidents are put down to poor training or a lack of training altogether. There is a suspicion that some operators in the supply chain see training as an unwelcome cost or simply a box-ticking exercise. We also know that enforcement officials, when inspecting facilities, often ask first for training records. If those are complete and up to date, the facility in question is likely to be discharging other responsibilities in accordance with the requirements.

So the idea of ‘competency-based training and assessment’ (CBTA) is really nothing new: all it does is to offer a framework and format to ensure that training, effectively delivered, provides those desired outcomes and that the student, at the end of the training process, is indeed properly equipped to carry out the tasks for which he or she is responsible.

Nonetheless, when the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) announced a few years ago that it was planning to introduce CBTA concepts to cover the air transport of dangerous goods – expanding on existing CBTA approaches in other areas of air transport – it aroused consternation in many quarters. Operators along the chain feared added costs and existing training providers were alert to the fact that they would need to re-tool their training programmes.

HERE IT COMES While introduction of CBTA in the dangerous goods chain has been delayed, the time is now nearly upon us. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will introduce new CBTA training requirements in the 62nd edition of its Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), which takes effect on 1 January 2021. On that date, therefore, not only will training providers need to have their courses updated to the latest amendments that also take effect, but they will also need to have their programmes in line with CBTA requirements.

IATA says it recognises the challenges faced by many organisations in transforming traditional instructional programmes to meet the CBTA approach and is ready with a number of tools to help. In particular, the DGR has long included a table showing the various training topics applicable to the various roles in booking, checking, handling and transporting dangerous goods by air; this has been moved from Section 1.5 to Appendix H and is much enlarged, providing more guidance on the relevant tasks applicable to various job functions.

Indeed, Appendix H, which has been made available to all relevant parties ahead of publication of the new DGR, sets out in some detail the underlying principles of CBTA and stresses that it is the responsibility of the employer or training provider to tailor the material to ensure that trainees reach the level of competency required for each function as described in Appendix I.1.5. It also reminds industry of some basic principles: - The goal of CBTA is to produce a competent workforce by providing focused training, through the identification of key competencies and the level of proficiency

required, and by determining the most effective way of achieving them and evaluating that achievement. - Personnel must be trained commensurate with the functions for which they are responsible, which is not necessarily determined by their job title. Concentrating on functions and responsibilities rather than job titles means that the training provided can ensure that the trainee is competent. - Competency is defined as “a dimension of human performance that is used to reliably predict successful performance on the job” and is manifested and observed through behaviour that mobilises knowledge, skills, attitudes and experience.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IATA is alert to the fact that, in smaller companies, individuals may perform a range of functions. Other entities, such as ground service providers and freight forwarders, may need personnel to perform some functions that are typically carried out by shippers or operators. In such cases, training needs to prepare personnel for all eventualities.

Employers therefore need to determine the purpose and objective of CBTA training programmes based on the functions for which their personnel are responsible. In the CBTA approach, they also need to ensure that training is designed and developed to establish clear links among the various competencies that are to be achieved, the learning objectives, assessment methods and course materials. IATA advises that employers should liaise directly with their responsible regulator to ensure that CBTA courses are developed in line with their requirements.

CBTA also introduces changes for trainees, who now become active participants in the learning process rather than merely passive recipients of knowledge. A CBTA programme should provide them with a clear view of their learning path towards competency, both during the training process and beyond, and should directly contribute to improving their on-the-job performance. Feedback from trainees is therefore crucial to ensure that training is effective.

IATA also notes that there are important differences in the way that regulators would oversee a CBTA programme compared to traditional training. It is no longer sufficient to know that all trainees have passed a test; regulators must oversee the training programme to ensure it produces competent employees.

IATA ON YOUR SIDE To support industry implement the move to CBTA, IATA has developed an range of guidance and assistance. It has, for instance, already developed its own CBTA programmes and e-learning courses for well-established operational job functions and also offers customised training for in-house delivery.

IATA has also set up a certification programme that enables organisations across the aviation industry to assess and improve their training programmes, instructional material and content. That programme offers a Certificate of Validation to attest that the training given to employees meets the standards set by the CBTA requirements in DGR. Organisations meeting the certificated standard will be able to provide employees with co-branded IATA course certificates.

IATA’s training consultancy services are also being expanded to meet the CBTA approach. With its in-house expertise and wide experience around the world enables it to effectively engage with clients, listen to their training needs and provide targeted knowledge-transfer solutions to enhance training effectiveness and performance.

Organisations active in the air transport of dangerous goods have had plenty of time to get used to the idea of CBTA but any that have not yet begun to develop the appropriate tools are going to have to move fast.

More information on IATA’s approach to CBTA and the services it provides can be found on its website at www.iata.org/en/training/validationprograms/consultancy/cbta-dgr/.

THERE ARE MANY PERSONNEL WITHIN THE AIR

TRANSPORT INDUSTRY THAT WILL NEED TO

DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE THE CAPABILITY

TO DISCHARGE THEIR DUTIES WHEN HANDLING