Croatia Control (CCL) started the process of comprehensive and independent training of 20 air traffic controller candidates today, the first time since the founding of the Croatian state.
On that occasion, CCL’s DG Vlado Bagarić pointed out that he was proud that future controllers would no longer have to be trained abroad, which would result in great savings, and even more mean that the Croatian know-how would be used to train our own and, in the future, foreign candidates for that demanding and responsible occupation.
Namely, the ATCO Training Organization within CCL has recently been certified by the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency in accordance with the Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/340. About 1,500 candidates applied for the air traffic controller job, and 30 of them have been selected in the demanding process of assessment and analysis of competencies, with 20 out of 30 beginning their Basic Training for 16 area and 4 tower air traffic controllers today.
The start of training has been postponed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly stricken the entire aviation industry and air traffic, but it was pointed out that the situation would improve by the end of the training.
Director Bagarić said that the company paid special attention to its employees because they were its most valuable resource and that knowledge, expertise and experience were recognized as the fundamental competitive strength of CCL. Filip Jurčić, Head of Training Organization, pointed out that training and education, communication and teamwork were high on the list of priorities.
Air Traffic Control is one of the most demanding professions known today. Since ATCOs perform a large number of tasks simultaneously, their job is considered to be one of the most difficult today, which is why it requires possessing special skills, knowledge and abilities. Some of them are: the ability to communicate quickly and clearly, quick attention switching, receiving and reacting to a lot of information coming from different sources, finding quick solutions in emergencies, a high degree of self-discipline, emotional stability, calmness and stress tolerance, which are all necessary because the job is extremely responsible.
The Unit Training duration depends on the working position for which the candidates are trained, lasting circa 2-3 years. The candidates are first sent to the Basic Training in duration of 14 weeks. Upon the completion of the Basic Training, they attend the Rating Training, which lasts 12 to 20 weeks, depending on the type of rating. On completion, the candidates are granted a student ATCO license with a rating, depending on the type of service they will be certified to provide.
Along with a large number of multifunctional rooms, CCL has a state-of-the-art simulator to train the future ATCOs.
