TAFE SA aircraft maintenance students hit after CASA finds course to be inadequate
A TAFE SA aircraft safety and maintenance course has been found to be inadequate leading to the suspension of some former students.
THE Civil Aviation Safety Authority has revealed up to 80 students from a TAFE SA aircraft maintenance training course had their accreditation suspended after their skills were found lacking.
The TAFE SA aircraft maintenance course based at Parafield Airport came under scrutiny five months ago after CASA found worrying issues with the courses assessment procedure during a routine check.
A CASA spokesman told The Advertiser on Friday night the course has been suspended while CASA works with TAFE SA to lift training standards of their students. He said there were no safety concerns as all students were working as “part of professional maintenance organisations who would have supervised the recent graduates.”
The course has been suspended while CASA works with TAFE SA to lift the standards of the training.
However the finding threw into doubt the level of training and knowledge of previous students who had completed the course and gone to work for maintenance organisations across the state.
It is understood up to 80 former students were identified by CASA, some of whom have already been cleared and others, the majority, have had aspects of their licences of suspended.
“It was found that the course was not delivered in the way it was supposed to,” a CASA spokesman said on Friday night.
“Some former students may have to complete additional training, essentially redoing parts of the course.”
The students with suspended “privileges” are still at work but have to be supervised while doing certain tasks which they may not be legally qualified to perform alone.
“It doesn’t stop them working under someone elses supervision” the spokesman said.
“It is not like they have lost their jobs.”
The course is expected to be reinstated by the end of September following an investigation which lasted months.