Train-the-Trainer by DataHomeLab
Concept

Instructor competencies

Instructor competencies are the defined capabilities that make a pilot instructor or examiner effective at training and assessment, stated so they can be trained for, observed and evaluated. Pilot core competencies answer "what must a line pilot demonstrate?". Instructor competencies answer "what must the person who develops and grades that pilot demonstrate?"

Two frameworks apply:

  1. Seven-unit framework: seven units, each with elements and desirable behaviours (Train-the-Trainer Appendix 2; summarised in Chapter 12). This is the day-to-day craft standard for initial instructor qualification and recurrent instructor evaluation taught here.
  2. ICAO pilot instructor and evaluator competency (IEC) framework in Doc 9868 Part II Section 1 Chapter 7: a generic international structure (pilot competencies as prerequisite, plus management of the learning environment, instruction, interaction, assessment and evaluation) that operators adapt into approved programmes.

EBT programmes depend heavily on instructor analytical and assessment skill. Doc 9995 expects EBT instructors to know the adapted competency model, find root causes below standard, and recognise unacceptable reductions in safety margin, with formal competency assessment and recurrent standardisation.

Seven-unit framework

Shape: Unit (broad outcome) → Element (bounded sub-capability) → Desirable behaviour (observable evidence an evaluator can mark).

Unit Title Expanded performance descriptor (headline) Elements (summary)
1 Manage safety in the training environment Safe training/evaluation environment; safety of trainees in care A Safe environment; B Intervene when required for safety
2 Prepare the training environment Environment supports effective learning (facilities, equipment, materials) A Design training where required; B Adequate facilities and equipment
3 Manage the trainee Training appropriate to the trainees and their needs A Understand trainees; B Coach trainees
4 Conduct training Variety of instructional methods as required A Credibility; B Presentation; C Instruction and facilitation; D Policy adherence; E Realism; F Time; G Device/facility operation
5 Perform trainee assessment Assess appropriately, objectively and correctly A Communicate methods; B Monitor performance; C Objective assessment; D Actionable feedback; E Reports; F Integrity and objectivity
6 Perform course evaluation Evaluate effectiveness of the training system A Evaluate other instructors where required; B Evaluate course/phase; C Report evaluation information
7 Continuously improves performance Benchmark and improve knowledge and skills to maintain and advance qualifications A Evaluate own effectiveness; B Sustain personal development

Unit 4 is the largest in the room: presentation, facilitation, lesson-plan discipline, realism, time and instructor operator station (IOS) skill. Units 1, 5 and 7 are the discipline that keep Unit 4 safe, fair and improving. Unit 4 Element C explicitly pulls in line-oriented simulation (LOS) facilitator behaviours for LOFT-style debrief.

Two audiences, one standard

  • Instructors and examiners use the framework for regular self-evaluation.
  • Senior evaluators use the same units, elements and desirable behaviours for initial and recurrent instructor assessment.

Parity matters: a self-rating and a third-party evaluation are scored against an identical reference, so career performance is not hostage to whichever evaluator happens to be rostered.

ICAO IEC overview

ICAO groups instructor/evaluator competencies roughly as:

IEC Focus
IEC1 Pilot competencies (instructors must themselves meet the relevant pilot framework; ground instructors may omit some flight-path OBs)
IEC2 Management of the learning environment (TEM in instruction, safety brief, intervention, media, conditions, time)
IEC3 Instruction (objectives, approved programme, methods including facilitation, realism, continuous assessment, trainee-centred feedback)
IEC4 Interaction (respect, empathy, coaching, integrity, role model, seeks feedback)
IEC5 Assessment and evaluation (standards, grading, recommendations, clear feedback, system improvement reports)

The seven-unit model is an adapted packaging of the same professional space: safety and environment, delivery, trainee management, assessment, system feedback, and self-development, with pilot competence assumed by selection and currency.

EBT-specific demands on the instructor

Beyond generic instructional skill, EBT instructors must:

  • Apply the pilot adapted competency model and behavioural indicators without using them as a tick-list.
  • Run Observe–Record–Classify–Evaluate and VENN grading with defensible notes.
  • Prefer facilitation in debrief while still able to instruct when knowledge or skill is missing.
  • Perform root-cause / fault analysis so remediation targets the competency gap, not only the failed manoeuvre.
  • Maintain inter-rater reliability through standardisation and concordance programmes (ICAO: instructor concordance assurance programme (ICAP)).

Having accurate fault-analysis ability should weight instructor selection; technical brilliance without it produces clean simulator boxes and worse line pilots.

Instructor use

  • Treat the seven units as a development map, not only a compliance checklist: a weak Unit 5 Element D is a coaching target with named desirable behaviours.
  • Before a session, Unit 2 and Unit 4 prep (environment, lesson plan, device, realism plan).
  • During assessment phases, Unit 5 and pilot competency grading run together: your objectivity is itself an assessed instructor competency.
  • After the event, Unit 6/7: feed system issues upward; record personal improvement points.
  • In instructor courses, design practice against units and elements the same way pilot scenarios target pilot competencies.

Connections

Sources