Written by Sheldon Harper, Manager, Aviation Training Centre, ICAO Certified Instructor,Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago and Oswald Bruce, Airport Operations and Aviation Training Coordinator, Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago Aviation Training Centre (ATCEN) is the Caribbean Region’s premier facility for Aviation and Security Management Training. Since 2006, ATCEN has facilitated the operations of the first English-speaking Airports Council International Global Training Centre (ACI-GTC) and the International Civil Aviation Organization Aviation Security Training Centre (ICAO-ASTC), which was established in 1995 in the Caribbean. The Centre is strategically located within the Caribbean Region and caters to aviation colleagues from North, South and Central America as well as the African and Asia Pacific Region.
ATCEN was among the first training organizations to be endorsed by ICAO. It is one of 32 ASTCs within the network and continues to provide internationally recognized Aviation Security (AVSEC) Training Programmes and Workshops, which assist in strengthening and promoting global security.
Aviation professionals teach best practices
As an accredited and approved training centre for both ACI and ICAO, ATCEN exposes course participants to highly trained, dedicated and knowledgeable aviation professionals who share their wealth of experience and expertise, while ensuring that international standards and industry best practices are adopted throughout the training programmes.
ATCEN achieved a significant milestone when its management approached ACI and collaborated with Ms. Issa Castro, Manager, Global Training. This collaboration resulted in the development and hosting of the first ACI-Aeronautical Studies and Risk Analysis Course in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Over the years, ATCEN has successfully contributed and provided aviation management training to some 6,000 aviation professionals in areas such as airport operations and airport management, aviation security, master planning, customer experience and law enforcement through ACI Professional Certificate Courses and ICAO Security Management Courses.
Training all year long
The Authority benefits immensely from having its own ATCEN, as it is able to coordinate and provide the opportunity for year-round training to its aviation professionals at both airports in Trinidad and Tobago. The board and management are focused and committed to ensuring that its employees are given the best aviation and security management training.
In addition, the ICAO/ACI Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme (AMPAP) Airport Transport System Course has been hosted twice by the Authority through the ATCEN. This initiative by the Authority’s management has facilitated the training of approximately 18 of its personnel and other airport executives from around the globe. They have successfully completed the programme and have attained their International Airport Professional (IAP) designation.
ATCEN continues to collaborate and partner with a large number of local government and foreign governments in the delivery of training for airport personnel, both locally and regionally. The centre has also collaborated with the United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate the hosting of an Aviation Security Management Course and has partnered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to host and conduct Train the Trainer Courses related to Jet Way Behavioural Analysis and Contraband Concealment Courses in Trinidad. As a result, the Jet Way Training Programme was delivered in Antigua, Barbados and Guyana. It was also delivered to the Authority’s internal stakeholders, including immigration, police, customs officers and airport security officers.
Partnering with other national security agencies
Furthermore, ATCEN continues to partner with other national security agencies and has collaborated with the government of Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of National Security Counter Trafficking Unit in hosting a series of training and awareness programmes in human trafficking. These have been geared towards sensitizing the various branches of law enforcement personnel and authority stakeholders on its states. Aviation Security Awareness is provided by the centre to the various government agencies, airlines, ground handling agencies, contractors and other stakeholders.
ATCEN’s strategic location provides cost-effective benefits to other Caribbean states within the region. Caribbean airports benefit by having a larger percentage of their aviation professionals trained in-house at their own facilities without incurring the costs of travel to Latin America and North America to attend ACI and ICAO Professional Aviation Training Programmes. Throughout its operations, ATCEN has provided financial assistance through scholarships offered to both local and foreign aviation professionals.
A further benefit to the Caribbean airports is ATCEN’s Aviation Security Outreach initiative, which provides aviation security training courses. These are also held in other Caribbean airports for their aviation security personnel. This training initiative results in a lower cost to these organizations and allows for more personnel to obtain the training, while reducing the cost of overseas travelling expenses.
ATCEN has demonstrated corporate social responsibility through partnerships with institutions in Trinidad and Tobago representing the interests of persons diagnosed with autism, or vision, cognitive or manual disabilities. The Autism and Disability Initiatives seek to improve the customer experience for all stakeholders of the Authority including people with disabilities.
Finally, ATCEN operates as a “Centre of Excellence” and is a leader in providing quality aviation training in airport operations and security management to aviation professionals in the Caribbean and Latin American Region.
The article was provided by a third party and, as such, the views expressed therein and/or presented are their own and may not represent or reflect the views of ACI, its management, Board, or members. Readers should not act on the basis of any information contained in the blog without referring to applicable laws and regulations and/or without appropriate professional advice.
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