Baltic Aviation Academy: Different sectors face the same challenges in training future specialists

Aviation training centers deal with an entire generation of Ab Initio students who grew up while playing such games as Microsoft Flight Simulator. Nowadays three-year-olds play with their iPads, the main problem in causing various accidents is human errors and training budget are cut after the recession across the organizations. Therefore, new ways for cost-effective training have to be found in such sectors as aviation, defense, medicine, maritime, security and transportation. Baltic Aviation Academy provides a short overview of the main topics emphasized in the 3rd Low-Cost Training Trends & Technology (t3) Seminar, that took place on Tuesday 30th October in London. 

Interactive content, “gamification” approaches to simulation training programmes, teamwork encouragement by using video and organizational techniques as well as blended content, accessible at work, home or any time any place due to the use of the technological devices such as iPads, iPods and smartphones were among the top themes discussed during the seminar. Ideas for more effective specialists training came up from maritime, medicine, defense, civil aviation, security and other sectors.  The 3rd Low-Cost Training Trends & Technology (t3) Seminar was organized by Andrich International Ltd and Halldale Media Group.  

Practical examples introduced at t3 Seminar   

Commercial pilots have been using full flight simulators and computer based software for decades. Among the main recent achievements the usage of iPads at work, introduced by American Airlines in 2011 to replace paper charts and manuals, could be mentioned.

Defense sector demonstrated how to exploit mobile technology of the latest generation while using training apps for mobile, iPad, IPOD Touch and other interactive devices. Examples presented by Niteworks Handheld Training Transformation Project Lead included applications to assist with Military Annual Tests, Battle Casualty Drills, Army Fitness App, Fire Control Orders (FCO), and others. One of the ideas mentioned was to provide the more effective training measures as a solid number of standard training packages still remain unpacked by the trainees.  

Simulation & Senior Marine at South Tyneside College representatives shared their knowledge in introducing a full-mission bridge projection system, simulation suites and digital CCTV recording and playback system which allows staff to monitor the non-technical skills of the students. The medical sector stood out with a video-recording process during authentic operations at a major teaching hospital in the UK. Imperial College London representatives showcased video sequences filmed in actual operations, which moves simulation scenarios from ‘imagined' to the real clinical work, granting an impressive ability to overview and address the non-technical skills, such as social interaction between the operating theatres. 

Private companies have also contributed the industry by creating software that satisfies the needs of training departments, being more cost-effective than a standard simulation equipment. PlayGen introduced a number of low-cost training solutions based on game technologies, including US Public Health Service's Emergency Response trainer, NHS funded Health application and a Coronary Artery Bypass surgery primer for medical students, which is purely a computer game about surgery, developed during one month. The price for some projects ranged from 25.000 to 30.000 British pounds. 

New rules are coming 

“Our education system is based on the industrial age rules, which worked greatly in the 19th century. However, processing more information does not necessarily imply more knowledge or situational awareness. Training centers need to enable students to learn through interaction with various aspects of their daily life, be it gaming, sound recording platforms or the practical experiments in the groups of school fellows”, commented Goda Januskeviciute, Communications Director at Baltic Aviation Academy. 

Since 2011, Baltic Aviation Academy has offered supplementary pilot training methods, including home-made practice videos, produced by the academy students and personnel. The Baltic Aviation Academy’s channel views on Youtube have exceeded 1,2 million since then. At the 3rd Low-Cost Training Trends & Technology (t3) Seminar, Baltic Aviation Academy presented a topic “How YouTube, webinars and mobile devices can help trainees master the training material faster”. 

According to the Learning Pyramid presented by the National Training Lab’s in Maine (the USA), based on Edgar Dale's research, individuals retain 90% of what they learn when they teach it to others. The average retention rate for lecture teaching method used by instructors is only 5%.

Chart 1. Learning Pyramid; Source: National Training Laboratories, Bethel, Maine.

A recent study by the Studio School, a new kind of school in the UK, where small teams of 14-19 year old kids learn by working on practical projects that are, as the representative puts it, "for real", showcased interesting results. Two years later, academic results showed the poorest performers getting top grades – average 9 (A-C grades of GCSEs in the UK), presented Geoff Mulgan, the director of the Young Foundation during his speech at TED.com. 

The speaker presentations at the 3rd Low-Cost Training Trends & Technology (t3) Seminar can be downloaded by accessing the link http://bit.ly/t3presentations.