Vocational education and training cooperation with Thailand extended
Dual training for aircraft maintenance in Thailand
In order to expand regional air transport, Thailand requires skilled workers, especially in the field of aircraft maintenance. The cooperation agreement between BIBB and its Thai partner institutes, the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (OVEC) and the Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI) has been extended with the objective of helping to cover the requirement for skilled workers in the field of aircraft maintenance.
The main focuses of cooperation over the next two years are as follows:
- Development of a standard for the occupations of aircraft mechanic and aircraft electronics technician
- Development of a trainer standard for the field of mechatronics
- Cooperation within the area of Industry 4.0
The cooperation agreement was signed in Bangkok on 24 May 2016 by the Director of the OVEC, the Director General of the TPQI and the president of BIBB (represented by the Head of the Electrical, IT and Scientific Occupations Division at BIBB).
German training standards for Thai air transport
Thailand is debating the provision of training in the field of aircraft maintenance and in the occupations of aircraft mechanic and aircraft electronics technician in accordance with a uniform and practically oriented standard. The approach to be adopted in developing relevant training standards was discussed at a two-day workshop. The main focus was on two topics.
- Integration of the stipulations contained within the “European Ordinance on aircraft me-chanics and aircraft electronics occupations” into the German training regulations and skeleton curricula for the occupations of aircraft mechanic and aircraft electronics technician.
- Alignment of qualifications to national and regional qualifications frameworks. Alignment of the new standards to the Thai Qualifications Framework (TQF) and to the ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) is of central significance to Thailand.
Participants agreed that they would continue to adopt a two-stage approach.
- Stage 1: The TPQI and the Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will work together to develop training standards for the occupations of aircraft mechanic and aircraft electronics technician. They will be guided in this process by the “European Standard of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA”), the “Standard der International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)” and the “Standard of the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)”
- Stage 2: Integration of additional contents into the training standards will take place in conjunction with BIBB and other experts.
Alongside BIBB, the TPQI, the OVEC and the DCA, representatives of universities and vocational colleges which are actively involved in the aviation sector also took part in the workshop.
BIBB, the OVEC and the TPQI have been cooperating on the basis of a trilateral agreement since as long ago as 2014. The object of cooperation thus far has been the development of a training standard for the field of mechatronics. BIBB has been cooperating with Thailand on issues relating to vocational training since 2003.