Helping to rebuild civil aviation in Iraq by training aspiring Iraqi air traffic controllers in our Aviation Academy in Baghdad
Our customers 2019
We provide Air Navigation Services (ANS) in Iraq, working with the Ministry of Transportation to help rebuild Iraq’s National Air Traffic Service Network and ensure its compliance with international standards.
Working side by side with the Iraqi teams we mentor and train, our Baghdad ANS colleagues have built a strong and collaborative relationship with our customer. They are playing an important role in establishing a structured, modern and safe civil aviation environment capable of sustaining itself and supporting the future of aviation in Iraq.
In the last two years, our team have received much recognition for their service above and beyond expectations, including Tyrone Bishop, who delivers Aviation English training and assessments through our onsite Aviation Academy.
“Iraqi skies are a central hub for flights around the world,” Tyrone explains. “With so many nationalities in the same, busy air space, you need a common language and ‘Aviation English’ is that language. For the safety of everyone, especially the millions of passengers in the sky every day, it’s essential that air traffic controllers are fluent, confident English-speakers.”
“Our job is to help make that happen, and to the highest standards. Aspiring air traffic controllers are recruited from the local area and enrolled in English language preparation. They’re with me for several weeks. If successful, they pass into aviation theory and specialised simulator training – all delivered in English. Then their hands-on training begins. The whole process takes about three years.”
Tyrone’s contributions include a variety of engaging solutions designed to drive the right learning outcomes whilst stimulating passion for learning and career progression among our Iraqi students. These include an online portal that pairs Iraqi students with learners around the world for English-based communication challenges. Application of these tools is not limited to Baghdad, we share them elsewhere in Iraq, as well as other Serco operations across the Middle East.
“It’s about disseminating better practice and equipping them to take greater control of their own destiny, both individually and nationally,” says Tyrone. “It’s going really well. Standards are improving significantly, and everything is heading in the right direction.”