International aviation training growing at Avia College

Avia College is a specialised vocational school owned by Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services, which trains air navigation experts for the needs of both Finnish and international air navigation operators. Active work over recent years to build a good reputation is now beginning to produce results that are reflected in the increased number of international trainings. What kids of international training will be organised at Avia College in the near future? How will the training be arranged in practice? What are Finland's strengths in the international training market?

Avia College offers international clients the opportunity to purchase basic and refresher training for air traffic controllers, theoretical training for flight information service officers, basic and refresher training for on-the-job instructors, basic and refresher training for competence assessment, and Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) training. In addition, training packages can be tailored to the individual needs of each client.

"We mainly arrange training remotely from Finland cost-effectively through Teams or have the participants fly to Finland for the duration of the training. For longer training entities, our trainers may travel to the destination country for the duration of the training. This was done in Norway where we just completed a five-week theory course for flight information service officers, says Thomas Karlström, Head of Sales and Marketing at Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services.

There is little difference between training of Finnish and foreign air traffic controllers, as all training is based on the same statutory provisions. The language of instruction in international training is English instead of Finnish, but most of the material is also discussed in English in Finnish-language training.

Training with Norway, Luxembourg and Georgia in the near future

Avia College will organise international training for Norwegian, Luxembourgian and Georgian air traffic control personnel in the near future. In January, a basic course in air traffic control for 15 Georgians will begin in Finland, while we have an agreement with Norway spanning several years on the provision of basic and refresher courses in on-the-job training and basic and refresher courses in competence assessment. 

“In December, we will hold remote CISM training for Luxembourg’s air traffic control managers. In February, a refresher course and further training on air navigation services for approaching traffic will be launched, after which all approach controllers in Luxembourg will come to Finland in smaller groups for just under a week for simulator training,” says Karlström.

Air navigation circles are quiet small worldwide and competition is tight in terms of training, which is why good references and a good reputation play an important role in the sales of training. Finland's good reputation as an education export country is an advantage in this competition as is Helsinki’s image as a pleasant city for education and conferences.

"We have worked consistently in Finland for many years to build our good reputation, and now we are beginning to see the tangible results of this work. For example, it is significant that air traffic controllers are sent from Luxembourg to train in Finland, even though there are several large operators, such as Germany and France, closer to them. In addition to our skilled personnel, another advantage Avia College has is our small organisation that can adapt to our clients' needs very quickly and flexibly, Karlström continues.

International training improves the utilisation rate of training facilities

International training plays a major role in Avia College's operations, as it provides an opportunity to increase the utilisation rate of facilities, demonstrate Finnish air navigation expertise to the rest of the world and assist clients in developing their operations. Positive feedback after the training provides additional motivation to advance and develop the training.

“At Avia College, we have large, affluent, new facilities and skilled and competent personnel. Thanks to international training, the facilities are not standing empty even when training is not in progress. Our personnel's competence is directly reflected in the training feedback we receive from both refresher training courses for experienced air traffic controllers and new basic training students. We treat our students like colleagues, which is reflected directly in our good reputation,” Karlström reflects.

As far as international training is concerned, Avia College is already looking ahead to 2025, as next year’s places have already been filled up. The aim is to increase the share of international training moderately so that the educational institution's priority will still be to ensure that its own personnel receives training.