Application to the Population Office for two unlimited 'J' Category Licences to be granted for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer

Information about the publication of Ministerial Decisions

A formal published “Ministerial Decision” is required as a record of the decision of a Minister (or an Assistant Minister where they have delegated authority) as they exercise their responsibilities and powers.

Ministers are elected by the States Assembly and have legal responsibilities and powers as “corporation sole” under the States of Jersey Law 2005 by virtue of their office and in their areas of responsibility, including entering into agreements, and under any legislation conferring on them powers.

An accurate record of “Ministerial Decisions” is vital to effective governance, including:

demonstrating that good governance, and clear lines of accountability and authority, are in place around decisions-making – including the reasons and basis on which a decision is made, and the action required to implement a decision
providing a record of decisions and actions that will be available for examination by States Members, and Panels and Committees of the States Assembly; the public, organisations, and the media; and as a historical record and point of reference for the conduct of public affairs

Ministers are individually accountable to the States Assembly, including for the actions of the departments and agencies which discharge their responsibilities.

The Freedom of Information Law (Jersey) Law 2011 is used as a guide when determining what information is be published. While there is a presumption toward publication to support of transparency and accountability, detailed information may not be published if, for example, it would constitute a breach of data protection, or disclosure would prejudice commercial interest.

A decision made (15/05/2008) regarding: Application to the Population Office for two unlimited 'J' Category Licences to be granted for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer - Jersey Airport.

Decision Reference: MD-E-2008-0101
Decision Summary Title :	Additional J Cat ATCO	Date of Decision Summary:	02/05/08
Decision Summary Author:	A Kenyon	Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	N/A
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written	Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Report to the Assistant Minister, Economic Development, Deputy Alan Maclean to request two unlimited ‘J’ Cat appointments for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer.	Date of Written Report:	08/05/08
Written Report Author:	A Kenyon	Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)
Subject: Application to the Population Office for two unlimited ‘J’ Category Licences to be granted for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer – Jersey Airport.
Decision(s): The Assistant Minister endorses the proposal to secure the required approvals to enable the appointment of a two suitably qualified, experienced and skilled person from outside the Island under the auspices of the Housing (General Provisions)(Jersey) Regulations 1979, Regulation 1 (1(j)) for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer. On the basis of an unlimited ‘J’ category housing licence. The Assistant Minister recommends that in the event that any appropriately qualified and experienced local applicants should apply they will be considered for appointment prior to considering any UK applications.
Reason(s) for Decision: See attached paper
Resource Implications: ATC cannot currently provide the required staffing for the next three years due to the factors detailed in the decision paper

Action required:

The Assistant Minister Economic Development makes an application to the Population Officer for two unlimited ‘J’ category housing licences to be granted for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer, under the auspices of the Housing ( General Provisions) (Jersey) Regulations 1970, Regulation 1 (1) j ;

Jersey Airport will undertake to advertise the post simultaneously locally and in the UK but will consider all local applicants in the first instance before considering UK applicants for appointment.

Signature:

Deputy AJH Maclean

Position:

Assistant Minister Economic Development

Date Signed:

Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Application to the Population Office for two unlimited 'J' Category Licences to be granted for the post of Air Traffic Control Officer - Jersey Airport.

J Category ATCO Requirement

Over the past twenty or so years Jersey ATC has operated a policy of recruiting ATCO locally and using UK ATC colleges for the basic training. Achieving this plan has been demanding and it is a credit to the people concerned that it has (in the main) met the requirements.

Over this same twenty year period the aviation industry (and ATC) in particular has become Pan European and has integrated its safety and management processes. This integration has been accelerated by the exchange of expertise as staff move through and around the various parts (and countries) in the network. Jersey however (by its very nature and as a result of the local recruitment) has almost zero staff ‘churn’ and as such has fostered a more ‘insular’ approach. While the standards in ATC remain high and service provision levels good this ‘insular’ approach has been counter productive in terms of development and the unit has ‘stood still’.

The challenges of being part of the ‘Single European Sky’ and the demands of the twenty first century are now being met through a much more dynamic and focussed management at the airport. Staff development and recruitment are now part of this plan and form the platform to aid development.

The staffing plan is two pronged as follows:

Continue the emphasis on local recruitment by implementing a new plan as described in the table.

Current system		Proposed system
	Issues		Advantages
Long term manning plan identifies requirement	Recruitment does not take account of training failures	Permanent requirements plan with potential for sponsorship explored	Requirement allows for flexibility and development. Ability to secure through sponsorship staff who may be employed later will also help.
Ad hoc visits to careers fairs to attempt to cover requirements	No general awareness of ATC as a potential career on island	Manning plan operates separately	Manning plan will identify the need and the requirements plan will ensure the need is filled with contingency available.
Local recruits assessed by external company	Assessment is required but needs to complement the recruitment process	Ongoing relationship with the careers department at local schools and regular attendance at classroom sessions	Set up a relationship to benefit the schools while identifying potential.
Successful candidates join unit and follow unit training plan.	Potential for drop out high	More visibility at careers and other general interest forums (shows/fairs)	Keep up the momentum and plant the seed in the brain of people seeking a rewarding career.
		ATC training facility improved and training staff better equipped to deliver end product (trained ATCO)	Better facility will cost more but will equip airport to support local recruitment.

The current system has recently failed to deliver a number of trainees (all of which were recruited and failed the on the job training element) and as a result the staffing levels on the unit have caused concern.

The second part of the staffing plan is short term and serves three purposes.

Recruit an additional two permanent J Cat ATCO

This recruitment will

Address the current staffing shortfall by bringing in qualified staff who can become effective within a much shorter lead time than that required for ab-initio students.
Bolster the experience levels on the unit by bringing in wider knowledge. This will help to develop the unit and benefit from methods used elsewhere and is critical to allow the unit to position itself in the forefront of the industry.
Deliver the additional staff needed in the short term to deliver the new ATC tower. The new facility will provide a state of the art environment to assist in the exciting development of Jersey Airport. In order to prepare for the introduction the existing staff will need to undergo a period of familiarisation training and will therefore need to be released from their duties providing the day to day ATC. The additional staff requested will be used to permit this training to take place. These staff will then be absorbed into the unit manning by natural wastage. This will allow the unit to return to correct manning quickly and efficiently.