KUALA LUMPUR: While there is no telling when the aviation industry will be revived amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) Academy remains passionate about keeping the skills, knowledge and minds of its pilots and cabin crew sharp through regulatory and non-regulatory modules via virtual training.
The Covid-19 pandemic which brought restrictions to physical training due to the nature of its training environment, has accelerated plans by the MAB Academy to provide virtual training to some 1,000 pilots and 3,000 cabin crew members, as well as those from their airline counterparts, which was initially slated for 2021.
MAB Academy chief executive officer Captain Kamarudin Kamilin said when the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) was announced in June, he knew that great importance must be placed to keep the industry moving, despite being grounded, by developing online modules covering regulatory and non-regulatory training to suit the new norm. It was swiftly materialised a week later.
In a quieter section of the academy in Kelana Jaya sits a mini recording studio called the 'Green Screen' where online training is virtually delivered via Microsoft Teams by close to 15 of the academy's in-house instructors from the School of Flight Operations, School of In-Flight Services and School of General Aviation and Professional Development as well as industry experts.
The virtual training in aviation fulfils the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)'s requirement, which had approved selected regulatory and technical training modules to be conducted by the academy using virtual classrooms and e-learning methods, said Kamarudin.
Some of the modules are such as Dangerous Goods Awareness, Recurrent Safety and Emergency Procedures Training Programme, Ground School Type-Tech Courses as well as Aircraft Weight and Balance Training Programme.
Subject to a green light by CAAM, the academy plans to expand online courses by converting 23 more modules, which could be completed in a span of six months.
Several of the online training modules that have been completed are such as Introduction to Aviation, Grooming and Etiquette, Voice Enrichment, Protocol for Frontliners and B738 and A333 Cabin Services.
Kamarudin described the virtual training delivered by the academy as crucial in helping to ensure that aviation professionals are able to manage operational challenges during the recovery period of Covid-19 to satisfy the local and international regulatory standards of CAAM, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation.
The academy, set up in Oct 1994 to cater to the learning needs of the Malaysian Aviation Group employees, is a CAAM Approved Training Organisation and the sole Malaysian organisation offering aviation training in both technical and soft skills.
It has been an IATA Regional Training Partner since Jan 2018 where classroom courses are delivered by its instructors with course materials.
Some 50 per cent of the modules, which incorporates the elements of interactive elements such as slides, videos and quizzes, are conducted online while the remaining are made up of examinations that requires candidates to be present in a controlled environment under the supervision of invigilators.
As part of the new norm, the academy has also launched their home web based Learning Management System for Type Rating Recurrent Training for Flight Crew which enables completion at the finger tips instead of the traditional Computer Based Training.
"Our goal is to provide the needed support and guidance during this critical period for the aviation sector despite the challenging time faced by airlines globally. To do so, we have taken immediate steps to start developing our traditional classes into online courses and this is an alternative means of training.
"The academy has successfully conducted training for the cabin crew of Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings. We have also complete
d other online modules such as the Introduction to Aviation, Grooming and Etiquette, Voice Enrichment, Protocol for Frontliners and B738 and A333 Cabin Services.
"As part of our digital transformation journey, this initiative is a step forward for Malaysia's aviation training industry. We are enabling cabin and technical crew from Malaysia Airlines, as well as other airline peers and partners from corporate institutions to keep themselves up to date and overcome operational challenges during this trying time.
"We are confident that this virtual approach will greatly benefit the aviation community, particularly in Malaysia and to provide them with the necessary regulatory guidance to restart air operations safely and securely," he said.
Pilots, he said, were able to retain their recency and qualifications requirement of making three take off and landings within a span of three months by undergoing simulator sessions at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.
"It is crucial that the qualifications and skills of the pilot and cabin crew remain fresh and intact because it will lapse when they are not flying. This is a big task for us to prep them ahead for when businesses improve later on, there would not be a struggle in getting qualified ones.
"This is to keep them ready for when the international borders are reopened and airlines can resume its operations."