The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE went to market in early 2019 in search of an air traffic control (ATC) training provider to train UAE national ATC candidates in basic and advanced ATC – ICAO 051, and ICAO 054 and 055. GCAA was looking for a provider with the experience and capability to train candidates using the latest in training technology and innovation, and the ability to utilise various training delivery methods including e-learning with interactive content.
GCAA needed to source high quality ATC training for 10 cohorts of students, from 2019 through to 2021.
GCAA chose Airways International as its training provider for this contract, and the first two cohorts completed their training with Airways in New Zealand during 2019.
However when the Covid-19 pandemic started to sweep the globe in early 2020, border and travel restrictions curtailed GCAA’s plans for sending further cohorts to New Zealand for training.
Following an urgent contract review, virtual training became a necessary part of the contract. Airways agreed to deliver training to the next few cohorts both virtually via the AKO virtual academy, and in country in Abu Dhabi at the Sheikh Zayed Air Navigation Centre.
GCAA was the first of Airways’ customers to experience 051 training virtually via the AKO virtual academy. The first GCAA cohort to study 051 virtually with Airways undertook their training in the last quarter of 2020. They participated in live virtual sessions with their instructor via the AKO virtual learning studio based in Christchurch, and accessed the range of 051 AirBooks as part of their training. Airways’ cloud-based AirBooks interactive learning resources are a cornerstone of our digital content delivery for AKO courses.
All students in the cohort who studied 051 virtually with Airways passed their exams with excellent results, despite the challenges and disruptions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Two students unfortunately contracted the virus during the course, however they were able to continue their studies while in quarantine in Abu Dhabi.
One of the significant advantages of AKO is that students can access courses and resources from anywhere, at any time. For this GCAA cohort, this resulted in successful training outcomes.
Students accessed a range of content as a cohort in a virtual classroom
Kept learners engaged, with content accessible 24/7
Students read AirBooks and completed activities remotely
It’s a very effective tool to have which gives you the freedom to access the course from anywhere. Also, the learning quality is pretty much the same as face-to-face interaction.
GCAA student
