There is a critical lack of qualified workers in the aviation sector. In the upcoming years, there will be a significant need in the sector for new cabin crew members and commercial pilots. This is a problem for a number of reasons, including the fact that jobs in the airline industry require extensive training.
For instance, in order to be granted a commercial licence, a pilot must first complete 1,500 hours of flight training as a private pilot. A 3- to 6-week live-in academy is where flight attendants begin their careers in the air. The airlines have made significant training investments; much of the training has to be done in person, and these programmes take a while to upskill new employees.
However, as they fast enrol a young Millennial and Generation Z workforce, airlines may be able to alter how some of that crucial training is delivered thanks to advances in technology and e-learning. There are many Aviation Institutes in Ernakulam that provides world class training to aviation aspirants.
What additional training is provided by the aviation sector, and how is it made available to employees?
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Training for flights without using simulators
Aviation simulators, which are intricate, lifelike devices made to look and feel as much like the real thing as possible, are used for the majority of pilot training. Pilots frequently have to fly to training facilities to finish their yearly training because of those simulators. But what if the use of physical simulators was unnecessary? Physical flight simulators are starting to give way to virtual reality. Go Touch VR, a French technology company, is creating virtual flight simulators that use sensors on the trainees’ fingertips to simulate, for instance, touching the controls on the instrument panel.
Microsoft’s HoloLens, a mixed reality programme, is being used by Japan Airlines to teach flight crew to be co-pilots. These trainees receive a detailed hologram of the cockpit instrument panel through HoloLens, along with audio and visual instructions.
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Renewal education
In order to maintain their licences, pilots must complete numerous hours of training and testing each year. Each year, flight attendants must update their training. Typically, this entails that pilots attend their training at a training facility, while flight attendants must return to the academy for a one- or two-day refresher session. It was difficult for Norwegian Air, a company with crew members spread out around the globe, to get everyone back to Norway for formal training.
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Customer encounter
Customer experience is crucial in all businesses, but it is especially crucial on aircraft when passengers are seated next to one another for extended periods of time, occasionally under stressful circumstances. Additionally, videos of instances that are handled poorly frequently go viral. A smart method to prevent these situations is through training. For instance, United Airlines recently implemented “sensitivity training” in response to an incident in which a passenger was forcibly removed from a plane. Following the internet publication of an altercation between a passenger and a flight attendant, American Airlines introduced de-escalation training last year. Additionally, United has introduced a module to train airline staff on how to provide the greatest service to clients with intellectual disabilities in collaboration with the Special Olympics.
Some of the courses are delivered in-person, but others have technology components. For instance, Airports Council International employs gamification, seminars, and an online poll to enhance customer experience at airports. Airport Diploma Courses Kochi uses many different technologies to groom the students into industry friendly candidates.
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Recognising crime
Not every training course deals with the sensation of flying. For instance, the aviation department of the United Nations is recommending that employees receive required training on how to spot human trafficking. This past February, Qatar Airways unveiled a new online programme educating its staff in an effort to prevent international wildlife trafficking, a crime that frequently employs aircraft to transfer wildlife or other illegal goods like ivory. Employees will learn about the routes and tactics used by smugglers as well as how to report and deal with illegal conduct through the new programme, which the business claims is “focused at those roles within the airline which are most likely to face unlawful activity.”
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Airlines and remote employment
Commercial airlines have employed a remote, mobile workforce for almost a century and have spent decades figuring out how to train and communicate with those workers when regulations suddenly change or new training is required. While training remote workers is a new problem for many industries, it is not for commercial airlines.
To address this issue, airlines in the past employed a three-ring binder loaded with memoranda. To demonstrate that they have read the information, employees had to initial each page. Those were the 1980s. Email became the norm in the 1990s. Airlines now send important information to remote personnel through apps and internal social networks.
There may be no sector that is better equipped to manage the difficulties of remote training. With the advancement of e-learning systems, airlines are now equipped with a more comprehensive toolbox than ever before. E-Learning is a platform used by the best Aviation Institutes in Kochi.