The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has reportedly adjusted the requirements for the recruitment of Air Traffic Services personnel to work within the Air Navigation Services department at the Timehri Control Tower.

According to a source, the organisation recently recruited 25 persons who will be trained to become air traffic controllers. The source said the recruits are currently being tutored by officials from the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) of the University of Guyana “to bring them up to scratch with the basics of Mathematics and English.” The individual, speaking on the condition of anonymity, further explained that the recruits were partially successful in an aptitude test which was conducted at an interview. It was further determined that they needed remedial training since most of them could not obtain the required pass mark of 70% .The source said recruits from the previous batch hired by the organisation had encountered similar problems. Stabroek News understands that in addition to Mathematics and English, the recruits are being taught Geography, Astronomy and importance of personal hygiene.

Asked what are the GCAA’s basic requirements for hiring new air traffic controllers, the individual said that over the years, recruits were required to possess Grade 1 to 3 passes in five subjects, obtained at one sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, inclusive of Mathematics and English while persons with passes in a technical subject would have an advantage. The source related that these requirements were lowered to accommodate the 25 recruits.

When contacted for a comment yesterday, GCAA’s Director General Zulficar Mohammed said that the requirements had not been lowered. Asked about the 25 recruits being tutored by IDCE officials, Mohammed said that given the education levels of persons entering the system, it was observed that the tutoring was necessary.

He said problems facing recruits have been long recognised and the organisation is currently working with the batch of students to “bring them up to speed”. Mohammed elaborated that basic mathematical applications pose problems for recruits, adding that they have discovered similar problems with English Language as well. He said also that other subject areas prove difficult, citing Physics which he said is necessary in reading meteorology. He explained that the issue is about application, saying that persons who have been assessed over time possess the knowledge but struggle with the application. “It is not a matter of lowering standards, but ensuring that recruits can cope with the job,” he added. He also said that the organisation continued to assess new recruits, offering them basic tests in various subject areas, particularly Mathematics and English.

Meanwhile, an employee of the GCAA told Stabroek News that he recently heard about the restructuring of the requirements and staff members are “wondering  what exactly are the requirements” to gain entry into the ATC  profession. He said staff members have also been discussing the recent legislation which was passed in the National Assembly making ATC an essential service.

He noted that many persons are leaving the profession because of what he referred to as an “administrative problem” at the Timehri Tower. He said the GCAA needs to upgrade its training department, stating that the organisation has conducted two training courses since mid-2005 to train new recruits as controllers and to date only one individual has been successful.

The employee also said that there are currently eight persons undergoing training to become controllers from an original group of 16, which started a training course in early 2007. He noted that there is also a shortage of staff at ATC facilities at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Ogle Aerodrome which needs to be urgently addressed since some controllers are being overworked and this could lead to fatigue among other health hazards.

In addition he said that previously, under the Civil Aviation Department, persons were trained as Air Traffic Control Assistants and after gaining two to three years of experience, they were further trained to become controllers. He said the GCAA should not have changed this format of training since “it is practically impossible” to train someone to become a controller without that individual gaining relevant experience as was previously done under the Civil Aviation Department.

Recently air traffic controllers were in the spotlight when they took strike action for a 10% retroactive payment. Their actions caused flight operations at the airport to be restricted to daylight only. After an intervention by President Bharrat Jagdeo the controllers returned to work a week later.