For employees and leadership at the FAA Academy (AMA) as well as those working in Safety and Technical Training (AJI), change is on the horizon. Both organizations desire to become more adaptive and innovative but such a transformation requires a change in culture for both organizations. As critical conversations continue to develop over the next few months, both parties will be examining how to meld their services for the betterment of the agency. Both teams are exploring new ways of moving forward together. Jim Doskow, Acting Director of the FAA Academy explains, "A collaborative approach has served us well in the past, but we need to do whatever makes sense, creating synergies as we go." Abby Smith, Director of Technical Training aligned by stating, "Let’s not talk about our routing symbols, but let’s talk about the work that we are accomplishing and think about it in terms of economies of scale."
For three straight days in February, two, nearly 20-member teams from both organizations met and held in-depth discussions on three separate topics: Space Management, incorporating technologically advanced devices in Air Traffic Training and the Technical Operations A5 Steering Committee. Union representation was also present at both of the meetings. The Space Management conversations explored empty, viable office space located within FAA Academy buildings. The discussions revolved around challenges, expectations, efficiencies of space, and the ability to combine shared services together. Karl Call, an architect from the Office of Facility Management (AMP) brought in space drawings to determine where pockets of unused office or closet space exist to explore possible options. Jon Berkman, Architecture and Engineering Division Manager in AMP commented, "We need a clear understanding of purpose, such as organizational functions and the [physical] proximities [of the work] in looking at ways to make problem-solving more organic." As the discussions evolved, the subject of ’hoteling’ was deliberated as a need for AJI staff assigned (who are assigned to FAA Headquarters in Washington D.C.) to utilize when visiting their AJI counterpart team members here in Oklahoma City. Hoteling is a method of office management whereby employees dynamically schedule the use of the workspace - be it a desk, cubicle or office. It is an alternative approach to having a permanently assigned workspace. The Enterprise Services Center (ESC) at the Aeronautical Center currently employs creative hoteling methods for some of their employees and it is a more widely used practice in FAA headquarters in Washington D.C. With more of the workforce opting to telework, it makes better business sense to use these empty spaces more efficiently. Doskow commented, "We want to look at "teching out’ classrooms together [with AJI] combining our technology teams with the requirements of AJI. And to be honest, we haven’t always had this level of collaboration in the past, so this is a new beginning."
In the spirit of generating new ideas and improving how FAA training is delivered, the Technical Operations A5 Steering Committee collaborated to build solutions and explore training alternatives. At the onset, expectations about the meeting were formed:
Topics of discussion involved the need to fragment training for different levels of competence and ways to ensure that the toolbox contains successful technology solutions. What tools should we consider for the future? Are there tools that we should reject or embrace? What problems are we trying to solve in our portfolio now? What are the simple tools that we can implement immediately?
The team began their brainstorming efforts with a spider diagram of sorts, revealing the many methods of training delivery currently available. Some of the notated training capabilities included were: Augmented and Virtual Reality, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), BlackBoard, OneNote, Huddle, and Academy Video Training Network (AVTN) to name a few.
Many training capabilities were discussed at great length, bringing to light the need for an improved Infrastructure. In order to deliver training effectively, a good network with high bandwidth is necessary to perform the mission. The goal is for all students to have a uniform, consistent training experience across the board.
Participants were encouraged to think of the future they’d like to create and then discuss the ways to achieve it. After a long day of brainstorming, the team met after hours at a local restaurant in Oklahoma City. As a forecast of inclement weather loomed, out-of-state visitors looked forward to getting together before possibly being snowed in at their respective hotels. Mother Nature interrupted the second day of meetings as the Aeronautical Center was closed due to a rare winter storm producing between 4 to 6 inches of snow. The following day, the roads were navigable and the conference resumed.
Toward the end of the discussions, importance was placed upon the idea of getting the much needed training to the people in the field immediately, utilizing various tools that are currently available. A concerted effort was made to establish ongoing, future meetings to discuss technological advancements in training.
