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Apprenticeship training course

Air traffic controller (level 5)

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Information about Air traffic controller (level 5)

Directing aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace.

Knowledge, skills and behaviours
View knowledge, skills and behaviours

Knowledge

  • Safety: Health & Safety obligations as an employee and as an air traffic controller including maintaining a safe environment, emergency response and personal safety
  • Safety: Understand how to escalate safety concerns
  • Security: Understand potential security threats and their impact on the business and the operation and action to take in the event of a breach of security
  • Planning: Understand the considerations and processes to enable effective planning, problem solving and decision making using knowledge, experience and evolving information.
  • Planning: Understand how to maintain spatial awareness within the designated area of control
  • Compliance & Legislation: Understand how to manage and comply with local, national and international legislation, codes of practice and guidance within own area of responsibility
  • Communication: Understand how to manage communications with users, staff and external agencies, selecting appropriate methods and language.
  • Communication: Understand standard terminology, context and tools to communicate with aircraft, other ATC authorities, and colleagues
  • Communication: Understand how to direct the movement of aircraft
  • Communication: how to pass information to aircraft (e.g. weather conditions)
  • Communication: how to maintain radio and radar contact with aircraft
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Know and understand the procedures and protocols for safe takeover and handover control of the operational position at the start and end of an allocated period of air traffic control
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Know and understand the correct team and individual responses to light levels of traffic volume and complexity
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Understand how to manage difficult and challenging situations and people
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Understand the interactions between different types of controllers and how interactions between controllers affect workload
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Understand the need for cooperation with other parties concerning aspects of environmental protection
  • Air Traffic Operations: Understanding Aerodrome theory
  • Air Traffic Operations: Understand Aircraft performance and behaviours
  • Air Traffic Operations: Equipment and systems
  • Air Traffic Operations: Aviation Law
  • Air Traffic Operations: Air Traffic Management
  • Air Traffic Operations: Local procedures, rules and systems
  • Air Traffic Operations: Navigation
  • Air Traffic Operations: Regulatory standards and obligations
  • Air Traffic Operations: Weather and impact on aircraft, the local operation, and the wider air traffic control network
  • Air Traffic Operations: Radio, navigation and communications aids
  • Air Traffic Operations: Separation minima between aircraft in specific situations
  • Air Traffic Operations: Emergency and unscheduled traffic procedures including airborne and ground based failures
  • Service Level Agreements: Understand the agreed levels of performance and standard operational procedures within own area of responsibility
  • Personal Effectiveness: Understand responsibilities and accountabilities for the role
  • Personal Effectiveness: Understand how to maintain resilience, effectiveness and operational safety when a plan is not followed
  • Personal Effectiveness: Understand the need to acknowledge and react positively to any errors identified
  • Personal Effectiveness: Understand the importance of recognising and responding appropriately to the signs and symptoms of fatigue Understand the impact of personal medical fitness and the impact on personal effectiveness
  • O1: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to civil Area/ Terminal control and how they apply to, and impact, the civil Area/ Terminal environment
  • O1: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Area/ Terminal Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O2: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to civil Approach control and how they apply to, and impact, the civil Approach environment
  • O2: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Approach Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O3: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to civil Approach Procedural control and how they apply to, and impact, the civil Approach Procedural environment
  • O3: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Approach Procedural Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O4: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to civil Aerodrome control and how they apply to, and impact, the civil Aerodrome environment
  • O4: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Civil Aerodrome Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O5: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to military Weapons control and how they apply to, and impact, the military Weapons Control environment
  • O5: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Military Weapons Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O6: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to military Area control and how they apply to, and impact, the military Area environment
  • O6: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Military Area Radar Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O7: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to military Terminal Radar control and how they apply to, and impact, the military Terminal Radar environment
  • O7: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Military Terminal Radar Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service
  • O8: Understand the specific rules, principles and techniques pertinent to military Terminal Aerodrome control and how they apply to, and impact, the military Terminal Aerodrome environment
  • O8: Understand the role and responsibilities of the Military Terminal Aerodrome Controller and their role in providing an integrated air traffic control service

Skills

  • Safety: Comply with Health & Safety obligations as an employee and as an air traffic controller
  • Safety: Escalate safety concerns through the appropriate channels
  • Security: Manage aviation security in own area of operations following organisational procedures to report and react to any breach
  • Planning: Manage planning, problem solving and decision making using knowledge, experience and evolving information. Manage the use and update of situational data displays
  • Planning: Maintain spatial awareness within the designated area of control
  • Compliance & Legislation: Manage compliance with legislation, aviation procedures and regulations within own area of responsibility
  • Communication: Manage communication with users, staff and external agencies, selecting appropriate methods and language
  • Communication: Use correct terminology, context and tools and maintain a safe and effective operation
  • Communication: direct the movement of aircraft
  • Communication: pass effective and pertinent information to aircraft
  • Communication: maintain radio and radar contact with aircraft
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Safely takeover and handover control of the operational position at the start and end of an allocated period of air traffic control
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Assess and respond effectively to light levels of traffic volume and complexity
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Effectively manage difficult and challenging situations and people
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Effectively manage working relationships and interactions between differing types of controllers situated at the same and differing sites (domestic and international)
  • Teamworking & Resource Management: Cooperate effectively with other parties to achieve appropriate environmental protections
  • Air Traffic Operations: Effectively Manage Air Traffic using understanding of appropriate theory, experience and current operating directives
  • Service Level Agreements: Manage team and facilities to deliver results according to agreed levels of performance
  • Personal Effectiveness: Undertake responsibilities and accountabilities
  • Personal Effectiveness: Maintain resilience, effectiveness and operational safety when a plan is not followed
  • Personal Effectiveness: Acknowledge and react positively to any errors identified
  • Personal Effectiveness: Recognise and respond appropriately to fatigue. Take responsibility for personal medical fitness to not endanger airspace users when personal effectiveness may be reduced
  • O1: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O1: Demonstrate practical capability as an Area/ Terminal air traffic controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O2: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O2: Demonstrate practical capability as an Approach controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O3: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O3: Demonstrate practical capability as an Approach Procedural controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O4: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O4: Demonstrate practical capability as an Aerodrome controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O5: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O5: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Weapons Controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O6: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O6: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Area Radar Controller to the defined assessment standard and leve
  • O7: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O7: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Terminal Radar Controller to the defined assessment standard and level
  • O8: Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and understanding through a variety of assessments and examinations
  • O8: Demonstrate practical capability as a Military Terminal Aerodrome Controller to the defined assessment standard and level

Behaviours

  • Embrace and promote the values of the organisation
  • Treat team, customers and other stakeholders with courtesy and respect
  • Take ownership and responsibility of role and working area, including team members where responsible
  • Display loyalty, integrity and accountability to the organisation
  • Commit to continuous development of self and team, including improvements to systems and processes
  • Be vigilant and proactive in promoting a safe, secure and compliant working culture
Apprenticeship category (sector)
Transport and logistics
Qualification level
5
Equal to higher national diploma (HND)
Course duration
15 months
Funding
£27,000
Maximum government funding for
apprenticeship training and assessment costs.
Job titles include
  • Civil Area/ Terminal Controller
  • Civil Approach Controller
  • Civil Approach Procedural Controller
  • Civil Aerodrome Controller
  • Military Weapons Controller
  • Military Area Radar Controller
  • Military Terminal Radar Controller
  • Military Terminal Aerodrome Controller

View more information about Air traffic controller (level 5) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.