There shall be ATSEP stakeholders forum to discuss and adopt EASA CBT documents developed by atsep training steering committee as per ICAO doc 10057. As a member of the steering committee and on behalf EASA, I invite all ATSEPs, partners and sponsors from the East African region to the forum on 10th of November at EASA NAIROBI. This is aimed at aligning EASA/KCAA technical trainings with ICAO SARPs and is largely going to impact on curriculum, content, assessment and certification. It is a precursor for ATSEP ratings and licensing. Your presence and views are welcome. For further details contact info@easa.ac.ke
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Friday, 28 October 2016
ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
Engineering and engineering technology are
separate but closely related professional areas that differ in:
·
Curricular Focus –
Engineering programs often focus on theory and conceptual design, while
engineering technology programs usually focus on application and
implementation. Engineering programs typically require additional, higher-level
mathematics, including multiple semesters of calculus and calculus-based
theoretical science courses, while engineering technology programs typically
focus on algebra, trigonometry, applied calculus, and other courses that are
more practical than theoretical in nature.
·
Career Paths – Graduates
from engineering programs are called engineers and often pursue entry-level
work involving conceptual design or research and development. Many continue to
graduate-level work in engineering. Graduates of four-year engineering
technology programs are called technologists, while graduates of two-year
engineering technology programs are called technicians. These professionals are
most likely to enter positions in sectors such as construction, manufacturing,
product design, testing, systems monitoring, evaluation and control, diagnosis,
maintenance, technical services, sales and project management. Those who pursue
further study often consider systems engineering, facilities management, or
business administration.
·
In Kenya, engineering and
engineering technology programs are reviewed and accredited by two separate
accreditation bodies; the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and the Kenya Engineering
Technologists Board (KETB). The functions and mandate of KETB and EBK are
contained in the laws of Kenya; The Engineering Technology Act No. 23 of 2016
and The Engineers Act No. 3 of 2012 respectively.
Friday, 21 October 2016
Companies NEED Employees on Social Media
3 Reasons Why Companies NEED Employees
on Social Media
1. It can help you weed out disengaged employees.
When you encourage
your company to engage on social media, you’ll quickly (and clearly) see which
employees are sharing company stories with their social following, and which
ones aren’t.
“It could be a red
flag that they are potentially unhappy in their job,” wrote LinkedIn Influencer J.T.
O’Donnell.“Which means, it’s a chance for you
and your management team to find out why.”
2. It can improve your employee referral program.
People are always
more motivated to do something when there is an incentive. Reward the employees
who passionately promote and brag about company to their friends by making it
easier for them to get referral credit.
“One way to make it
work better is to give employees a way to share referral links and get credit
for promoting your company on their social channels,” said O’Donnell.
3. It will remind employees why you’re a good employer.
Having access to
great stories about your Talent Brand not only gives employees a reason to
brag, but it also reminds them what makes their company such a great place to
work. That means, this strategy not only attracts new talent to your company,
but it also helps retain the talent you already have – Sounds like a win-win to
me!
Trust and Fear Vs Individual Growth!
Trust and Fear Vs Individual Growth!
Published on October 4, 2016
Key to understanding
life at work is to understand the relationship between power, fear and trust; many
Organizations are run through fear. Trust is a strong fuel source for any
organization, but it is hard for some leaders to build and hard to maintain
trust. It is easier and faster to lead a team through fear than to build trust
into a workplace.
To build trust, you
have to know yourself and you have to tell the truth about things that many
leaders and your peers don’t like to talk about. You have to talk about the air
quality and the feelings of the people around you — as well as your own
feelings. You have to be able to talk about your fears, and that is
something that too many leaders cannot or will not do.
Fear is another power
source that we have to understand. Many organizations run almost completely on
fear. Their employees are motivated mostly by the understanding that if they
don’t do what they’re expected to do, "they’ll get fired."bare
minimum level.
Everybody knows their
place in the organizational chart, and they know that one of their principal
responsibilities is to keep their boss from getting upset with them. Staying on
your manager’s good side is a very different mission with breaking down
whatever barriers that stand between your company and its goals!
Pleasing the boss is
such a fundamental responsibility that it can dwarf a person’s ability to do
real job to their capacity. This is a problem in large and small organizations.
Managers who don’t feel powerful in themselves use the power of their position
to force people to bend to their will.
Management jobs come
with a built-in level of power and control. This is one reason so many
unequipped-for-leadership people end up in management positions. They seek
those positions for the power of the job title and use them to suppress
potential staff.
The petty
bureaucratic power that a manager wields by virtue of his or her job title
seems to fill the hole in the fearful manager’s stomach. When you see managers
throwing their weight around and treating employees badly, it’s because they
don’t feel good about themselves. Some managers are so fearful that they see
every competent person around them as a threat. If you succeed too well, you
could threaten the manager’s power or his or her ability to control you. A
fearful manager wouldn’t like that.
Your boss can get
spooked easily. You’ll know that your manager is on edge is when you
see their efforts to block your forward motion, their words and actions
intended to make you feel bad about yourself or their willingness to
criticize you in front of other people.
These are all
techniques fearful managers use to keep your flame from growing. If your flame
kept growing and you started to feel really powerful, you might do or say
something that would challenge your boss — and for a fearful manager, that
would be a disaster to him!
Real power is not in a job
title. It’s in a person, or on a team. Fake power is the kind that other people
bestow on you. Real power is something you grow in yourself, step by step, as
you find your backbone and use your voice.
Here are five signs your boss
is freaked out by your competence and/or confidence.
1. When you
have a great idea at work, your boss either stomps on the idea or steals it and
calls it his or her own idea.
2. Your boss tries to
restrict your access to higher-level leaders and people in other departments.
Your boss tells you to funnel all communications through him or her, rather
than directly.
3. Your boss used to
compliment and acknowledge your good work, but now he or she seems to find
fault with everything you do. Other people in your workplace praise you — but
your boss never does!
4. You and your
manager used to strategize and make plans together. Now you are shut out and
can hardly get access to your boss.
5. Your manager takes
away your highest-impact and highest-visibility projects and gives them to
other people.
Don’t feel bad if you
recognize yourself in this list — many people including me have walked the same
path! Keep your cool. Don’t twist yourself into funny shapes trying to assuage
your boss’s fears. It won’t work.
At the same time,
don’t engage with him or her and don’t get into battles. Your best path
undoubtedly lies elsewhere. While you’re working at your current job, keep in
mind that you will always run into barking dogs on your path. You don’t have to
stop and bark back at all of them!
LINK
Top 5 Signs You Should Quit Your Job
For
several decades, it was normal to hear that someone would stay at a company for
their entire career. An employee that stayed with an employer for more than 20
years was not uncommon. Now a day, we have seen a definite shift in the
movement of employees from one job to the next. Some may point to a lack of
loyalty from both the employer and the employee, and yet others may say that
the online age has created more opportunity and aggressive recruiting. Regardless
of the root cause of this phenomenon, it cannot be argued that most employees
will change several jobs in their lifetime. However, many people may be afraid
or fearful to leave their current position even when all of the warning signs
are present. Here are the top 5 signs you should leave your job.
1) You Hate Going to Work
You may think this
would be an obvious statement but you would be shocked at the number of people
that I have encountered that continue to go to their job but dreading going
there every day. When I worked at a coffee shop for several years serving
customers, I would hear the groans about the "Monday blues" and how
Wednesday was "hump day". I never understood this attitude because I
was fortunate enough to work at a job that I loved and the people always made
it a great experience. One of the best words of wisdom I had from a mentor was
to always find a job where you enjoyed the people and purpose almost above all
things. If you find yourself hating the company and going into work, it's a very
good sign you should start looking elsewhere. A constant complaint that I have
heard when doing career consulting is that the person loves the people they
work with but hate their boss or the company. Once again, if the direction,
purpose or integrity of the company does not match your beliefs or values, it
is a good sign that it is time to leave.
2) You Don't Respect Your Boss or They Don't Respect You
We've all had times
when we have disagreed with our bosses. One of the best bosses I have ever had
was probably one that I argued with the most. There were times where we would
be so upset at each other, I felt I would quit on the spot several times and
likewise, he probably wanted to fire me several times. However, at the end of
the day, I knew that he was just pushing me to be a better leader and to
stretch me. When he asked me to take a promotion, I was shocked but he let me
know that he respected me and thought I would be the best person for the job.
Funny thing is that during this entire time, I never spoke bad about him even
though I was upset at him. There is a clear distinction between liking and
respecting your leader. Respect allows for disagreements, differences of
opinions and frustration but the recipient will always feel like they have a voice
in the matter. Disrespect occurs when one gets shut down and believes that they
have no say in any issue and are constantly made to feel as though they are
lower than someone else.
3) You Find Yourself Searching for Jobs Constantly
Looking for another
job or position in a company is completely normal. Everyone gets the urge to
"see what is out there" and even go for an interview now and then. In
fact, I have told all of the managers that have worked for me in the past to go
and interview with another company 2 times per year. The reason for asking them
to do this was to get a sense of what other companies were offering, make sure
that they were keeping their interview skills relevant and lastly to ensure
that they were pushing themselves to be better. If another company was going to
pay them more and give them a better opportunity, I wanted to have them take
it. However, if you find yourself constantly doing this and searching more than
a couple of times per month, it may be a good time to get some help from a
recruiter or career consultant so that you can leave your job quicker. One
woman that I helped out recently was struggling with this very problem. One of
the exercises I had her adopt was to focus her career path and strategically
apply for 2 jobs/week rather than doing blanket resume applications. Sure
enough, she was able to find another job that suited her better and currently
loves her new position!
4) You are Envious When Others Leave
Most of us will be
happy when we hear of a fellow peer or employee that has accepted a position at
another job or company. If we are honest with ourselves, we have all had times
when we have felt a bit envious as well. Perhaps we've been in a position for a
long time and we may have even outperformed this certain individual only to
find that they have "passed" us on the career ladder. Be careful with
this sign as it may lead to potential bitterness in your performance and I have
witnessed some great employees hit a slump because of this. Remember that you
are not entitled to anything and that no one is stopping you from leaving
yourself. The best thing to do when you see this sign is to either realize you
want to stay and will do your best or to leave yourself.
5) You Experience Issues Away from Work
The greatest sign you
should leave your job is that you experience issues away from your workplace.
Perhaps you are not sleeping well, are showing increasing signs of stress that
is beginning to affect your health, your family and your social life. When work
becomes so engulfing that it takes away from these important aspects of life,
it is time to walk away. One of the most courageous friends that I know is a
longtime friend that studied hard to become a lawyer. She was very successful
in her practice and was very good at her job but she had lost an immense amount
of weight and dealt with so many stressful aspects of her career. One day, she
let me know that she quit her field completely. Today, she is creating
furniture and working at other jobs and is amazing at both! She smiles
constantly and is a different person! I know that financial obligations and
pressures contribute to people having a hard time with being able to leave but
ask yourself if you lose your health, family, faith and friends, what profit
have you really made? When a palliative nurse recorded the top 5 regrets of the
dying, she listed them as:
1. I
wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others
expected of me.
2. I
wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I
wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I
wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I
wish that I had let myself be happier.
Perhaps you have been
or know someone that has been contemplating leaving their role. See if these
signs exist and if most of them do, it is probably a good sign it is time to
take the next step. Please comment and share as I would love to hear any
stories or thoughts as we navigate through this journey together!
The 8 Tremendous Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset
The 8 Tremendous Ways to Develop a Growth Mindset
The truth is
having a fixed mindset as the
name implies, increases the limitations you have in your life.
Optimists
believe the glass is half full whilst pessimists believe it's empty. The same
can be said for those with a fixed mindset vs a growth mindset.
The expert in
mindset is Dr. Carol S. Dweck, a Stanford
University psychologist. Dweck tells us that those with a fixed mindset firmly
believe that intellect is static whilst those with a growth mindset strongly
affirm that intellect evolves.
In Dweck's
book: 'Mindset - Changing the way you think to fulfill your potential'. She explains
the differences between the lives of those with a fixed mindset and growth
mindset.
Developing A Growth Mindset
One's mindset stems from our own
set of powerful beliefs. Thankfully, beliefs can be changed when they no longer
serve us or enable us to achieve our goals.
After decades of research on the
mindset, Dweck explains that:
'The view you adopt for
yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life'.
I would like to share with you
the 8 tremendous techniques for developing a growth mindset.
1. Create A New Compelling Belief
Create a new compelling belief by
believing your talents and skills can be honed by applying oneself.
It is your consistent effort and
enjoyment of one's chosen path in life that illuminates the road to mastery.
2. View Failure In A Different
Light
Failure is the time to apply
extra effort to significantly improve your results. Failure is what you do and
understanding what you can learn from it. Remember, it is not who you are as a
human being.
This quote says
it all perfectly, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, a track and field athlete and
Olympic gold medalist explains:
'I derive just as much
happiness from the process as from the results. I don't mind losing as long as
I see improvement...If I lose, I just back to the track and work some more'.
3. Sky Rocket Your Self-Awareness
Become acutely aware of your many
gifts and talents. Fully comprehend your key strengths and weaknesses.
Ask others for feedback such as
your closest friends, family members, boss and colleagues as they can offer
slightly different views and give you an overall perspective on what to focus
on and areas for development.
4. Become A Curious Learner
Act like a child does on a daily
basis, live in wonderment and discover the beauty of life. Decide today, to
continually focus on learning and growing.
Begin by asking more questions
and being more curious about everyone you meet, the journey they have been on
and what they can teach you.
For every person I have met,
every experience I have had teaches me about the world, myself and others. It
is one of the many delights within this world for the unquenchable thirst for
knowledge helps me to move forward with undeniable gusto, unbounding love and
provides the deepest sense of appreciation for those who have touched my heart.
5. Challenges Are Your New Best
Friend
As in life, it
is the never ending mountain ranges like the highest mountain in the
world, Mauna Kea.
When one chooses to climb the
mountain, they must overcome the insurmountable challenges in order to get to
the top. They choose to risk their life, help others in their journey, and
become indestructible in body and mind.
Those with a growth mindset excel
with challenges. Challenges propel them forward towards their goals, it is the
fuel that inevitably helps them rise to the top.
It is all about learning and
taking positive action time and time again. No matter how far they fall, they
continue to get back up to begin playing the game once more.
6. Love Takes You To The Top
Those with a growth mindset whom
naturally love what they do, rise to the top more organically.
With some of them having no
aspirations to go there, it is purely a spin-off from doing what they
absolutely love and continuing to do so with all of their heart and soul even
when faced with adversity and challenges.
7. Tenacity That Ignites
The tenacity forms
part of their character and is an essential ingredient in becoming unstoppable.
Giving up is not part of their vocabulary, they have a goal and won't stop
until they arrive.
Their tenacity is an essential
ingredient to one's success, without it one will falter, slip and inevitably
fall to the lowest levels. This is what separates a novice from a champion.
Champions
simply keep going, the man whom immediately springs to mind and defied all odds
to become a 3 time Formula One Winner - Austrian born Andreas Nikolaus Lauda. Rush is one of
my favorite movies for this very reason.
8. Massively Inspired By Others
This add more fuel to their
blazing fire that is alight within and helps them continue their journey.
Watching others succeed liberates their soul as to the possibilities of life.
Their genuine happiness and
excitement for others unwittingly attracts and returns success back to them.
For one can never receive what they resent.
The bottom line is like all
wonderful things in life it takes time just as day moves into night, the moon
shines bright and the stars light up the sky.
In similar fashion, developing a
growth mindset is based on your willingness and commitment to change your most
powerful beliefs to wake up to become a new, better version of yourself. It is
now your time to make that decision, so you can lead an incredible life
tomorrow.
Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) - the unstoppable future of aviation and its impact on ATSEP
Remotely Piloted
Aircraft Systems (RPAS) -
the unstoppable future of aviation and its impact on ATSEP
Carlos Viegas
IFATSEA - SESAR SJU Liason
As all who read
last year’s instalment in this ATSEP magazine will remember, it was promised
that a second instalment would bring into focus the introduction
to the subject of
RPAS then made. The time spanning these two articles has been well spent; at
the time for example when we spoke of the need to have mandatory detect and
avoid systems and software on all small RPAS and very especially the line of
sight variety, the response at the time was: “too heavy, too expensive…not
possible!”. Today all are unanimous; yes, it is absolutely necessary and
unavoidable. This can be used to gage the extreme speed at which the RPAS are
being understood and their unstoppable potential is being made clear. But…as
always the aeronautical community and its institutions need to have a cool
collective head and look further down the time line to be able to regulate adequately,
this is no easy task because the regulator for the first time is put at the
door of an as yet unseen scenario: ...the
regulator from now on needs to be proactive in the case of RPAS but also in all
other highly automated ATM systems. Tradition dictated that regulation would come
into force in a scenario of well-known variables which were not foreseen to
change in the near future… ...that was until we all started to think of new
highly automated ATM systems deployment. Then we realized that today change in ATM
is possible and demanded at a breakneck speed, so the regulator needs to adapt
its regulated strategy too and deployment needs to give the regulator feedback
on issues found in change management so that regulation may be reviewed, this
is an endless
cycle from now
on. Another issue of concern…and this might be odd coming from an engineer, who
is above all a concerned human being, we cannot let ourselves be driven by our
capability to produce new and cheap solutions…with no time to test them
thoroughly and certainly no time to evaluate what are the consequences of a
huge paradigm shift: integrating an ever increasing number of RPAS in
non-segregated airspace. The economic appeal is easy to see but the initial
investment to guarantee safety and security to all RPAS in their access to
non-segregated airspace is not trivial as is the method in which this takes
place.
As yet no clear
answers come up on how the communications, telemetry and payload of RPAS that
take off from platforms not situated at airports are controlled or logged. Recent
documents state that the operator of the RPAS is responsible…. Well yes, we
know that! it would always be so. Probably the most important question would
be: does he care? Plug and Fly springs to mind as a solution to the communications
and telemetry part but the payload issue is clearly very different and more
complex. Small RPAS cannot be seen isolated from the universe in which they
fly, the dimensions of these, while small, interacts with huge and passenger
carrying airliners and as such represent a huge potential to disrupt safe and
secure passenger carrier operations. This is of course only true if proper
regulatory measures are not put in place before they take to the skies in
droves. The Impact on ATSEP roles and responsibilities:
This depends
hugely on how and what technologies are used to integrate the digital
communication network that will serve all the air systems. If these are
integrated with other highly automated ATM systems in a future SMC, then the
ATSEP have their work cut out for sure. The monitoring and control of this
network as well as its systems health management is critical to maintain the
RPAS operating safely and predictably. This is true only for the small systems
foreseen to fly
below approach level because above that the RPAS will have to take off and land
in airports due to their dimension and this means that they will use the same
systems that the manned aircraft use. In both case it is however very important
to retain the fact that the criticality of the ground systems that the ATSEP monitor
and control is of a very much higher level than is true today.
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