FAA Must Improve its Controller Training Metrics to Help Identify Program Needs

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to hire and train nearly 11,000 new air traffic controllers through fiscal year (FY) 2019 to replace the large numbers of those now retiring. As FAA begins training this influx of new hires, it must have accurate metrics on their training progress to ensure that key air traffic control facilities have enough controllers for safe and efficient operations. In 2009, at the request of Representative Jerry F. Costello, then Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed training failures among newly hired air traffic controllers. During that review, OIG found that FAA’s reported training failure rate was not accurate and that FAA’s primary source of training failure data, the National Training Database (NTD), contained outdated and inaccurate data. Both are critical metrics for managing this important program. This review follows up on OIG's 2009 audit. The audit objectives were to (1) evaluate FAA’s actions to improve its system for tracking the training progress of newly hired controllers and (2) review FAA’s metrics for measuring and reporting the effectiveness of its controller training program. Briefly, FAA has improved its tracking process for new controller training over the last year. The Agency has taken a number of corrective actions to address the problems OIG identified in 2009 that contributed to an inaccurate training failure rate reported for newly hired controllers. FAA’s metrics for measuring the effectiveness of the controller training program do not provide a complete picture because they include controllers who have not completed their initial training. For example, if there are 100 controllers in the training program and 9 of those controllers fail or leave, FAA reports an attrition rate of 9 percent. This produces unrealistic results because some of the remaining 91 in-progress controllers may also leave the program at a later time. Accurate training data are necessary so that FAA can adequately prepare new hires to replace retiring veteran controllers, assign new hires to the appropriate level and type of facility, and adjust its training program when warranted. OIG's recommendation focuses on steps FAA should take to measure and present a more complete picture of the effectiveness of its air traffic controller training program.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.oig.dot.gov/sites/dot/files/Controller%20Training%20Data%20Report.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Department of Transportation

  Office of Inspector General, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Publication Date: 2011-3-30

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Appendices; Figures;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air traffic controllers; Measurement; Needs assessment; Performance measurement; Training; Training programs
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Education and Training; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01340767
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: AV-2011-072
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 24 2011 2:57PM