Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
TNA should be carried out before any major decisions are made concerning human factors training.
TNA is a crucial stage in putting together a human factors training programme, and should not be omitted unless all staff are to receive full training on all syllabus topics. Even then, a TNA would be a valuable tool in helping to design the training and tailor it for the needs of the company and its staff.
Who Should Conduct the TNA
The person doing the TNA should have a reasonable level of competence in human factors, and be aware of the needs of the company and the different roles of its staff.
The TNA may either be carried out by one person within the Part-145 organisation, or jointly between one person from the organisation and a specialist who is familiar with TNA principles and the practical application of human factors.
What Does a TNA Involve - The following section provides a summary of the key stages of a TNA.
Stage 1 - Categorise all the various jobs within the company according to the different needs for human factors training
Stage 2 - For each category of staff, identify what level of human factor competence is required for each of the various syllabus elements. This may vary from none (e.g. loaders may not need to know anything about error models) to high (e.g. supervisors need to know a lot about task/shift handovers).
TNA should consider the nature of the work, as well as the different staff roles, and other issues such as whether staff work shifts. Many different aspects should be taken into account when considering who needs what training, to what level of detail and with what emphasis. For instance, if your staff do not work shifts, shiftwork need not be covered in detail. On the other hand, if you do work shifts, it is particularly important that your planners are aware of the effects of fatigue on human performance, in order to comply with AMC-145.A.47(a). Safety critical tasks should be a prime consideration when doing a TNA, especially for staff working nights, or on the line in all weathers. The TNA should also take into account the intrinsic vulnerability of the aircraft you are maintaining, and the circumstances under which they may be operating (e.g. a TNA for maintainers of helicopters operating in the Sea might differ from a TNA for passenger shuttle operations using new, easy to maintain modern aircraft, and would definitely differ from a TNA for a company whose business is component overhaul).
Stage 3 - Once the TNA has been reviewed and agreed as appropriate, determine what level of competence in human factors the individual staff members have, compared with that required. E.g. managers may have already attended courses that cover teamwork and assertiveness, and most staff will have undertaken health and safety training, therefore the syllabus element dealing with 'hazardous situations' may have already been covered.
Determining existing levels of competence in human factors may be difficult. Licensed engineers may have successfully passed an examination in Part-66 Module 9, for instance, but only possess some theoretical knowledge concerning human factors, as opposed to competence in its practical application. The organisation should not give any credit for such training unless they have an acceptable method for determining competence in the subject.
Stage 4 - Determine what level and duration of training to provide to staff, based on the TNA and staff competence assessments. Companies may find it easier to provide the one comprehensive course to all staff as initial training. Others may tailor their training according to suit the different categories of staff. Ultimately, the duration of both initial and continuation training should be determined by the TNA. Whilst in practice key factors affecting the duration of training tend to be the cost and whether staff can be released, companies should endeavour to make staff available for whatever time is necessary, determined by
the TNA, if training is to be effective in meeting its aims and objectives.
It should be remembered that a TNA is not static - it may need to be altered according to the changing nature of the company's business over time, and will be different for initial and continuation training. It may also change based on feedback from the company's occurrence reporting/ Maintenance Error Management System (MEMS) - for instance, if a series of problems are experienced during night shifts, then planners and staff working shifts may need to be given additional training on circadian rhythms and how to minimise fatigue. In particular, human factors continuation training should reflect particular problem areas that the company has experienced recently.
Realistically, it is not expected that organisations will have to run numerous variations of a human factors course for different groups of staff. In some cases, it may be easier to put all staff on the same course, and in others one core course plus two or three tailored modules may suffice. A TNA should be used as a tool to help design training, not an additional 'requirement' to complicate the issue. However, a TNA is a crucial stage in putting together a human factors training programme, and should not be omitted unless all staff are to receive full training on all syllabus topics. Even then, a TNA would be a valuable tool in helping to design the training and tailor it for the needs of the company and its staff.
Who Should Conduct the TNA
The person doing the TNA should have a reasonable level of competence in human factors, and be aware of the needs of the company and the different roles of its staff.
The TNA may either be carried out by one person within the Part-145 organisation, or jointly between one person from the organisation and a specialist who is familiar with TNA principles and the practical application of human factors.
What Does a TNA Involve - The following section provides a summary of the key stages of a TNA.
Stage 1 - Categorise all the various jobs within the company according to the different needs for human factors training
Stage 2 - For each category of staff, identify what level of human factor competence is required for each of the various syllabus elements. This may vary from none (e.g. loaders may not need to know anything about error models) to high (e.g. supervisors need to know a lot about task/shift handovers).
TNA should consider the nature of the work, as well as the different staff roles, and other issues such as whether staff work shifts. Many different aspects should be taken into account when considering who needs what training, to what level of detail and with what emphasis. For instance, if your staff do not work shifts, shiftwork need not be covered in detail. On the other hand, if you do work shifts, it is particularly important that your planners are aware of the effects of fatigue on human performance, in order to comply with AMC-145.A.47(a). Safety critical tasks should be a prime consideration when doing a TNA, especially for staff working nights, or on the line in all weathers. The TNA should also take into account the intrinsic vulnerability of the aircraft you are maintaining, and the circumstances under which they may be operating (e.g. a TNA for maintainers of helicopters operating in the Sea might differ from a TNA for passenger shuttle operations using new, easy to maintain modern aircraft, and would definitely differ from a TNA for a company whose business is component overhaul).
Stage 3 - Once the TNA has been reviewed and agreed as appropriate, determine what level of competence in human factors the individual staff members have, compared with that required. E.g. managers may have already attended courses that cover teamwork and assertiveness, and most staff will have undertaken health and safety training, therefore the syllabus element dealing with 'hazardous situations' may have already been covered.
Determining existing levels of competence in human factors may be difficult. Licensed engineers may have successfully passed an examination in Part-66 Module 9, for instance, but only possess some theoretical knowledge concerning human factors, as opposed to competence in its practical application. The organisation should not give any credit for such training unless they have an acceptable method for determining competence in the subject.
Stage 4 - Determine what level and duration of training to provide to staff, based on the TNA and staff competence assessments. Companies may find it easier to provide the one comprehensive course to all staff as initial training. Others may tailor their training according to suit the different categories of staff. Ultimately, the duration of both initial and continuation training should be determined by the TNA. Whilst in practice key factors affecting the duration of training tend to be the cost and whether staff can be released, companies should endeavour to make staff available for whatever time is necessary, determined by
the TNA, if training is to be effective in meeting its aims and objectives.
It should be remembered that a TNA is not static - it may need to be altered according to the changing nature of the company's business over time, and will be different for initial and continuation training. It may also change based on feedback from the company's occurrence reporting/ Maintenance Error Management System (MEMS) - for instance, if a series of problems are experienced during night shifts, then planners and staff working shifts may need to be given additional training on circadian rhythms and how to minimise fatigue. In particular, human factors continuation training should reflect particular problem areas that the company has experienced recently.
Realistically, it is not expected that organisations will have to run numerous variations of a human factors course for different groups of staff. In some cases, it may be easier to put all staff on the same course, and in others one core course plus two or three tailored modules may suffice. A TNA should be used as a tool to help design training, not an additional 'requirement' to complicate the issue. However, a TNA is a crucial stage in putting together a human factors training programme, and should not be omitted unless all staff are to receive full training on all syllabus topics. Even then, a TNA would be a valuable tool in helping to design the training and tailor it for the needs of the company and its staff.