AI Issue 12 2017

36 Acquisition International - December 2017 Aviation Selection Consultants (ASC) was set up with a mission to make psychometric and psychological assessments and employee wellbeing more accessible to all aviation companies, in particular for highly stressful jobs such as pilots and air traffic controllers. We profiled the firm and invited Margie Burns to tell us more about the firm and what makes it so successful. stablished in 2012, ASC’s goals are simple, to help its aviation clients select the best candidates cost effectively without compromising on quality or standards. The aviation industry has become very reliant on pilots to self-fund their training. This has a particular set of consequences, going as far as many pilots with a licence not making the transition from flying small aircrafts to jet aircrafts used by airlines such as A320 or B737-800 aircraft. In fact, 50% of licenced pilots are found unsuitable for flying jobs with airlines. This is largely due to the fact they tend not to undergo a thorough assessment before training. Margie outlines what services the company offers within the aviation sector. “At ASC, we provide independent assessment for those considering funding their pilot training, so that they can make a more informed decision about whether they should invest in becoming a pilot or not or in fact which route they should take to becoming a pilot, as there are different options available. We provide this service to airlines globally, some flight training schools that want to do things right, and also the military. We also provide the training on how to use a competency base approach to pilot selection so that the client’s own staff are trained to carry out the assessments to airline standard. At this stage, ASC has exported its services into 16 different countries, spanning four continents.” With regard to innovation, ASC must be adept at adapting quickly and prioritise innovation, the aviation industry is very dynamic, with new technology popping up every day, constantly changing and if people do not have the flexibility and innovation to change and improve, then they will not survive in the industry. Company: Aviation Selection Consultants Contact: Margie Burns Contact Email: margie@ aviationselectionconsultants. com Address: Block B, The Crescent Building, Northwood, Santry, Dublin 9, Ireland Telephone: 00 353 (0)46 907 7710 Website: www. aviationselectionconsultants. com Website: www. aviationcoachingalliance.com Recommended Professionals E 1712AI40 At ASC, the team started out by developing its own pilot specific personality assessment, which takes into account modern day stressors such as burnout, which is often a precursor to depression. This was a joint collaboration between Margie, who came up with the concept, and Peter Rhodes, the psychologist highly experienced in test development. They had worked together on several pilot assessment projects in Europe and the Middle East, after Peter had trained Margie in Occupational Testing, at Level A & B with British Psychological Society approval. Margie explains what the firm has gone on to do since. “Since then, we continue to enhance our range of courses by listening to our clients. In fact, ASC has developed the first pilot wellbeing programme in the world which has already been proven scientifically to improve overall health, fitness, wellbeing, ability to deal with stress and importantly decision-making skills. Given that 80% of all air accidents are caused by human error and while some of that may be as a result of poor communication, essentially it is mostly as a result of poor decision-making impacted by stress and fatigue. Subsequently, we set up a separate website to focus on everything related to mentoring, coaching, wellbeing, stress awareness.” “...we provide independent assessment for those considering funding their pilot training, so that they can make a more informed decision about whether they should invest in becoming a pilot or not...”