Well-trained maintenance personnel are the backbone of safety in the aviation industry. With growing demand in both passenger and cargo sectors, it’s more important than ever that these individuals are always kept up to speed. Another factor is the introduction of new technologies and aircraft designs, such as blended wing-body aircraft that could be introduced for commercial use in the early 2030s. Beyond safety, continuous training ties directly to regulatory compliance, cost control, and efficiency in aviation operations. In this article, we’ll look at why training must always be a top priority, what happens when it’s not, and some tips for overcoming common delivery challenges.
Why Aviation Training Must Never Be an Afterthought
Training is The Key to Safety
Studies have shown that aircraft maintenance errors have contributed to a significant share of aviation incidents. The FAA discussed several studies showing the connection between so-called ‘unintentional errors’ and incidents/accidents. One study estimated that 40.5% – 87% have these types of errors as a factor; another showed that 91% involved human errors, 33% of which happened during inspection and 32% during installation.
There are four categories of unintentional errors:
- Attention/memory and perceptual errors
- Skill/technique-based errors
- Knowledge/rules-based errors
- Judgement/decision-making errors
All of these can be linked to insufficient training to different degrees (perhaps even the first; maintenance teams should be trained on the consequences of performing tasks automatically without truly paying attention, for example).
Well-trained personnel are more adept at detecting and fixing issues before they become safety threats. On the other hand, insufficiently trained staff might overlook the early warning signs.
Comprehensive training ensures technicians learn standardised procedures, proper use of tools, and how to adhere to strict protocols. With greater skill, they will also make better judgement calls while under pressure or in situations where they’re at the limits of their capabilities. It can help them recognise when they’re out of their depth and need to consult with more experienced engineers.
Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
Compliance is about demonstrating that your workforce does not just understand the requirements, but meets them in practice, every single day. Most organisations are well aware of the formal training mandates set out by regulators, but the reality is that compliance violations often stem from inconsistent execution, poor oversight or outdated training practices.
Incorrectly documenting training is also an issue and can lead to mismatches between a technician’s actual scope of work and their documented qualifications.
Back in 2013, an audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) revealed that out of 27 FAA-certified repair stations reviewed, 21 did not maintain accurate training records for mechanics and inspection personnel, as required by federal aviation regulations.
The review also showed that 57 of 119 work orders contained errors including inadequate maintenance procedure training, use of tools that were overdue for calibration and inaccurate documentation.
These errors can be avoided by using the right tools. For example, our M&E system automatically creates work orders with the required documentation included. Modern HR software should also provide the tools needed for proper documentation, as well as centralised data storage, which improves accuracy and gives you real time visibility of the organisation’s skills inventory.
Operational Efficiency and Cost Control
Well-trained technicians work more effectively and get the job done right the first time. They can diagnose issues and perform repairs faster, yet effectively. This means less rework, fewer delays and less aircraft downtime. Of course, this translates to better schedule reliability and greater customer satisfaction. For Maintenance Repair and Overhaul providers specifically, it means the potential to take on more business due to greater throughput.
What’s more, investing in employee development tends to improve staff morale and retention, which has secondary benefits for efficiency and cost.
Keeping Up with Technology and Industry Changes
The aviation sector is always evolving, with new aircraft models, materials and maintenance techniques emerging all the time. Advancements such as the use of composites, sophisticated avionics, and data-driven predictive maintenance have changed the skillsets required of aviation maintenance personnel. Continuous training is the only way to keep the workforce proficient as these changes progress.
Common Challenges in Aviation Training & Their Solutions
1. Budget Constraints
In difficult times, there can be pressure to reduce training budgets. However, doing so can lead to higher costs down the line through errors or inefficiencies – not to mention the safety risks. Convincing stakeholders of the ROI of training is a task in itself.
How to Protect the Training Budget
The training budget needs to be protected even during cost-cutting phases. After all, you can’t put a price on the lost lives resulting from maintenance errors.
Leadership should frame training as a core element of the organisation’s safety culture and use ROI measurement frameworks to justify the investment.
These frameworks – such as the Kirkpatrick Model or the Phillips ROI Model – won’t just demonstrate how training has impacted the bottom line through efficiency gains. They measure outcomes on various levels, including how well employees are applying what they’ve learnt. As such, they’re important for monitoring whether training is causing a reduction in safety incidents.
2. Operational Disruptions
Given that labour shortages are still affecting the industry, it can be challenging to find the time to train staff without impacting maintenance operations. This can lead to delays or a backlog of untrained personnel. Specialised training can be more challenging to arrange as it might only be offered by a few providers, including OEMs.
The speed of innovation might make it harder to keep up. There can be a lag between the introduction of a new technology and the availability of comprehensive training for it. During that gap, technicians might be learning on-the-job with less guidance, which isn’t ideal.
How Technology Can Help
Certain training will require time away from the job, and that’s unavoidable. However, there are ways to balance things out, making the delivery of theoretical knowledge more efficient.
Online Training
Online training platforms can deliver a lot of theoretical knowledge without pulling people away from the workplace. Staff can learn at their own convenience, such as during breaks, while commuting, during slow periods, and so on, using mobile devices.
Virtual Reality
VR can improve training effectiveness and efficiency for practical tasks where it’s not necessary for technicians to go off-site to an OEM or elsewhere. It’s proven to improve knowledge retention in several contexts, including industrial, technical and safety-orientated settings.
On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Just-in-Time-Learning (JITL)
Pairing less experienced technicians with seasoned mentors on real tasks helps transfer practical knowledge and reinforce classroom learning. JITL is another way to reinforce knowledge in real-time as tasks are being worked on. It doesn’t necessarily involve supervision; information is provided for quick reference through apps or other materials (or even AR glasses which overlay step-by-step guidance).
In essence, all of these options build upon what’s learnt in hands-on training courses. They can’t replace it, but they keep staff proficient in a convenient way. No need to wait until the next in-person training session to practice a certain repair when you have VR; no need to wait for another staff member to explain a feature of your aircraft MRO software if you have online courses and reference guides for that purpose.
3. Standardisation
Large organisations struggle to ensure training is standardised. Without a centralised programme, different facilities might train technicians differently, leading to inconsistent practices.
Standardising training content and quality often requires dedicated training departments or collaboration with external training providers. Against, this is an added cost.
Standardisation is also difficult when MRO providers are working under multiple regulatory frameworks, perhaps for different customers.
How to Standardise MRO Training
Processes may vary depending on the customer, but some things will apply no matter who you’re working with, such as technical knowledge and regulatory topics.
Working with approved training companies that provide standardised courses on such areas ensures that your global workforce is up to speed. It ensures that staff in the U.S. will have the same learning experience as those in Europe, for example.
Of course, there are nuances when it comes to regulation. Staff may need different regulatory knowledge depending on where they’re based, and that’s where modularisation comes in. Work with providers that provide content in a modular way, so that staff only need to go through the content that’s relevant for them.
4. Challenges in Tracking and Planning
Factors like fragmented data across multiple systems, the need to quickly patch skills gaps, manual and paper based processes and insufficient resources all contribute to the documentation errors that cause violations of compliance and safety standards.
Tips for Better Documentation
All of these issues can be addressed by digital transformation. Modern HR systems store data centrally, make it easier to track training completion, track due dates for recurrent training, and streamline other administrative tasks. Some Learning Management Systems have similar features.
Of course, planning ahead is also key. L&D departments should be proactively checking for skills gaps and not waiting until deficits become problematic. One aspect of this is monitoring performance indicators like spikes in a certain type of maintenance error or a recurring inspection finding.
5. Employee Turnover and Skills Retention
As veteran technicians and engineers retire, there’s a concern about the loss of their expertise. At the same time, new hires need extensive training to get up to speed.
Appealing to Younger Generations
In an interview with AviTrader, Emirates Engineering stated that they use interactive technologies and other digital channels to appeal to younger technicians. FL Technics share the sentiment, stating that the newest generations “crave higher-quality graphics, favour coloured illustrations over traditional blueprint schematics, demand interactive 3-D models, and seek a wealth of instructional videos”.
These technologies may engage current employees and help them hone their skills – and attract people to the profession in the first place.
Capturing Institutional Knowledge
Beyond mentorship, how else can you capture knowledge? Gartner gives several recommendations. Creating knowledge maps that visually show what knowledge exists where within the organisation is a good starting point for making sure the right people are engaged in the right activities. They also recommend involving experienced personnel in root cause analyses alongside junior staff, as this will draw out their tacit knowledge and help codify it.
Communities of Practice
Finally, they recommend setting up Communities of Practice (CoP), a concept that comes from social learning theories. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a community that facilitates peer learning.
However, it goes beyond mentoring exercises. Gartner explains how a U.S. oil and gas company created what they called a Network of Excellence (NoE), with a focus on measurable business objectives. It facilitated the sharing of expertise across their global workforce and led to the development of new standards around plant maintenance, and the delivery of extensive training through eLearning. This brings us to our final topic.
Efficient Aviation MRO Software Training with OASES Academy
The best MRO software is only as good as the training users receive. At OASES, we don’t just implement your aviation maintenance software and leave you to get on with it. With OASES Academy, you essentially have a Community of Practice at your fingertips.
It’s a platform for learning and networking, featuring user training courses, webinars, release notes and other essential materials. Users can directly engage with our product experts and the wider community, helping you get the most out of your aircraft maintenance management software and achieve operational excellence.
Conclusion
Continuous training in aviation maintenance is a critical safety measure and a key business strategy. Well-trained teams are directly linked to safer operations, regulatory compliance, higher efficiency and lower costs. Underinvestment can leave organisations vulnerable to safety risks, compliance violations, inefficiencies and financial losses.
As mentioned, our cloud based aviation MRO software exists alongside OASES Academy, giving your people access to training courses and expert knowledge. To learn more about our software solutions or training, contact us today.