HeliOffshore releases Recommended Practices for Maintenance Competency-Based Training Assessments (MCBTA)

Today (26 April 2023), HeliOffshore released new recommended practices for Maintenance Competency-Based Training Assessments to provide practical guidance for implementing assessments effectively and successfully.

In today’s modern working environment, there are many demands on a maintenance professional’s time and mindset that may impact on their performance. Introducing a robust Competency Management System can achieve several prevention goals linked to System Failure, which has been identified in HeliOffshore’s Safety Performance Model as one of the prime accident events.

By reviewing maintenance professionals’ key skills and competencies, competency-based training assessments also offer an opportunity for personal development for employees and can provide a link to improve communication and trust between all parties. The assessments can create opportunities for business development, as operators can utilise the data to evaluate their capabilities as a company and plan future training requirements.

Scott Allan, Technical Director, HeliOffshore, commented: “By implementing maintenance competency-based training assessments, a company has an excellent opportunity to boost employee engagement across the workforce and can explore the use of the resulting data to inform the business’s safety performance.”

The new HeliOffshore guidance includes practical resources for managing maintenance competency-based training assessments, including a template competency framework assessment pack, and guidance for managing the interview process. The recommended practices also outline guidance for determining competency ratings, and the four key elements that should be included in all competency assessment methods: demonstration, simulation, observation, and questioning.

The guidance aims to create industry-wide recommendations for managing maintenance competency-based training assessment and ultimately improve frontline safety across the offshore aviation industry.

HeliOffshore’s Recommended Practices for Maintenance Competency-Based Training Assessments is available here.