Article de blog

Next-Generation Journeys: The Management Certificate in Civil Aviation

12 octobre 2018

The John Molson Executive Centre and the International Civil Aviation Organization have joined forces to provide high-level training for leaders on important themes within the civil aviation industry.

Civil aviation is a rapidly growing industry, and with that growth comes the demand for management-level professionals who are trained and ready to take on the new challenges that will inevitably arise in the ever-growing industry. The Management Certificate in Civil Aviation covers three main topics to help leaders prepare and enhance their leadership skills in civil aviation: strategic management, human resources management, and business planning and decision-making. These themes provide leaders and potential leaders in civil aviation with the tools needed to bring their organizations up to speed on critical industry issues. In nine modules spread over five weeks of hybrid learning, each certificate provides a well-rounded view of the theme under the instruction of a variety of professionals who represent unique perspectives.

Hybrid learning for flexibility

The triad of certificates that make up the Management Certificate in Civil Aviation are all offered in a hybrid learning environment. The course begins with four weeks of online learning, which includes videos, their transcriptions, and the corresponding PowerPoint presentations, which, combined, accommodate the different ways in which leaders absorb information. Although this portion of the program is offered online, resources are never far away. Participants are encouraged to communicate with their professors in order to promote a good understanding of the material, even from thousands of miles away. The combination of materials and resources provided for the online modules presents learners with a supportive and interactive learning environment, and allows them to begin their learning journey without interrupting their daily routine and work schedule.

Cary Price

The second portion of the program brings the participants together in Montreal, a civil aviation hub and a prime location for aviation training. During this face-to-face week, it isn’t just the instructors who do the teaching. Through group work, discussion, and collaboration, participants from all over the world are able to connect and share their ideas and knowledge on the topics in question, which introduces the added level of peer learning to the program. According to participant Cary Price, Manager of the Civil Aviation Training Centre at the Trinidad Civil Aviation Authority, the combination of both a diverse learning group and varied teaching staff was an important addition to the program. “It was an enriching experience being in that environment with a lot of professionals and learning from other professionals, instructors and lecturers,” Price says.

Teaching the methods that work

The Management Certificate in Civil Aviation is designed to provide leaders with practical knowledge that can easily be used in their day-to-day tasks, or that can assist in preparing employees for the leadership position they are striving for. “I’ve done a lot of programs before,” Price says. “But this program was the first one that actually gave me tools that I can actually implement and use in the workplace.” Using case studies and situations which focus on real-life problems, attendees of the three certificates gain experience dealing with major issues pertaining to the main themes covered, and they leave with a real understanding on how to handle such issues in the most effective manner, and what methods don’t work and why. Kurt Solomon, Air Traffic Control Instructor at the Jamaica Civil Aviation authority says the information provided in the program is highly valuable for him and his team. “We need this information, we need to be better managers of our organization, and we need to be better employees as well, so we function in both capacities and the skillsets here are really transferable to what we do.”

Training leaders from around the world

Upon the completion of the program’s second full rotation of certificates in December 2018, it will have hosted participants from 20 different countries who come from a variety of different positions and backgrounds. Professionals from both private, government and UN organizations have participated in at least one of the three certificates, and many have returned to continue and complete the full Management Certificate in Civil Aviation.

I will never regret having taken this program, it is hands on and it will drive the organization forward to achieve its intended goals and visions.

In such a rapidly growing and changing global industry, it is crucial that leaders have access to the necessary training that will not only serve to accelerate the trainees forward in their careers, but will also help move their organizations forward and create synergy between industry stakeholders in different countries.

“I will never regret having taken this program,” says participant Gabriel Sharp Etsey, Planning Analyst at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. “It is hands on and it will drive the organization forward to achieve its intended goals and visions.”