may 2011 ELP ICAO WORKSHOP ST PETERSBOURG - May 2011.

1Ministère de l'Écologie, de l'Énergie,du Développement durable et de l'Aménagement du territoire

WWW.developpement-durable.gouv.fr

ICAO REGIONAL WORKSHOP Saint-Petersbourg , Russian

Federation 23rd /26th May 2011

Olivier DELVALLEE

English training in the life of an ATCO in France

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SUMMARY

1. RECRUITMENT 2. INITIAL TRAINING

3. COMMUNITY & CENTRES

4. CONTINUOUS TRAINING

5. CONCLUSION

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1. RECRUITMENTTo become an ATCO

A competition with an exam 2 years after high school graduate

Many applicants ( often about 1.000 )

During the last years : 5 or 6 student classes a year

Nowadays : only 2 classes of 32 students a year

FINDING : DUE TO THE LEVEL OF RECRUITMENT, WE CAN SAY THAT LEVEL OF ENGLISH AT THE ENTRANCE IN THE ACADEMY IS GOOD

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2. INITIAL TRAINING

DURATION 3 YEARS DIVIDED IN 5 MODULES :

M1 : in the academy to achieve the ratings ADI & ADV 3 weeks in immersion course abroad to perfect english language and of this module students have to demonstrate Level 4 ICAO

M2 : 4 weeks for piloting training 4 weeks to start working as a tower controller on a mid-size airfield

M3 : in the academy to achieve the ratings APP/APS/ACP/ACS

M4 : duration 56 weeks - the trainee starts to work in a control centre ( ACC or big APP ) to obtain the qualification of the centre. English training during this part : - 3 weeks in immersion course in UK - 100 hours ( group classes work / tutorials ).

M5 : come back at the academy for the thesis and to try to demonstrate level 5

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About 4500 ATCOs on : 5 ACC 41 Airports 50 Airfields

3. COMMUNITY & ORGANISATION

To provide English training :

A net of English language coordinators responsible for setting up the English training programmes and managing for each of them a team of local teachers.

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4. CONTINUOUS TRAINING

Based on an individual English language training programme called PIFA in French.

Interview between the controller and the English teacher to enable a training programme according the level of the ATCO

Depending on this level :

LEVEL 4 minimum 75 hours to do over 3 years LEVEL 5 minimum 100 hours to do over 6 years

AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT THE ENGLISH COORDINATOR SIGNSTHE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE PROGRAMME SO THAT THE ATCO CANBRING THE EVIDENCE TO THE NSA TO EXTEND THE VALIDITY OF HIS LICENSE

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5. CONCLUSION

TARGET FOR OUR DIRECTOR IN THE DOMAIN « ENGLISH PROFICIENCY » :

« LEVEL 5 FOR ALL THE ATCO » IN FRANCE  

THE EMPHASIS OF THIS CONTINUOUS TRAINING IS PUT ON THECOMMUNICATIVE APPROACH TO LANGUAGE LEARNING WITH THE OBJECTIVE BEING IMPROVE SPEAKING, LISTENING AND INTERACTIVE SKILLS.

THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE AVIATION ENGLISH TRAINING IS THE DOMAINOF PLAIN LANGUAGE IN OPERATIONAL CONTEXT WHICH IS DEFINEDIN THE ICAO GUIDELINES FOR TRAINING AS BEING SITUATED

« Between the very narrow focus of standardised phraseology and the very wide focus of conversational aviation topics »

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