The implementation of virtual and augmented reality and the growth of automation are the main challenges that will lead to new tasks and skills required of operators in aviation and ATM. The future challenge is to create a new human-machine partnership, with the emergence of new professions and the upgrade of existing ones. The aim must be to prepare the workforce for new scenarios, with constant updating of skills.
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward,” Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his notebooks. What the scientist could not yet know was how quickly small and large events would affect flight itself: innovation and increasingly updated technologies change the nature of work and the man-machine relationship. Today, the implementation of virtual and augmented reality and the growth of automation are, according to Alessia Golfetti, Project manager at Deep Blue and expert in the ‘New Skills, Safety & Resilience’ area, the main challenges that will lead to the appearance of new tasks and skills required of aviation operators.
The impact of Covid-19 on the aviation sector
In 2018 it was estimated that “before 2040 there would be a total demand for around 790,000 pilots, 745,000 technicians and 890,000 flight attendants. Significant figures, as they would result in a doubling of the current available workforce. If the forecast proves to be correct, we will be faced with the highest demand in history in this sector.” Covid slowed this trend, with air traffic down 64% from 2019 to 2021 and passenger numbers down 84% in Europe (-63%), the US (-31%) and the Middle East (-47%). But thanks to the impact of large-scale vaccination campaigns, a 70% increase was recorded in August 2021 compared to the previous year. “The situation remains challenging,” Eamonn Brennan, Director General of EUROCONTROL, explains. “The evolution of Omicron is pushing many of Europe’s major airlines to reduce capacity by up to 30% and, in parallel, we are seeing numerous flights being cancelled due to the exposure of crew members to COVID- 19. However, I remain confident that in 2022 there will be a revival of aviation, which has proven to be resilient in all phases of the emergency.” Hoping, therefore, for the rebirth of an industry that is slowly adapting to a new normal, it is important to be clear from the start about the major expected changes, technologies and social trends that will affect and modify the nature of work in aviation over the next 20 years.
The future challenge is the collaboration and the creation of a new man-machine partnership
According to an overly simplistic view, for every job lost that is replaced by machines, we will gain as many because we will need programmers. But while it is true that AI is an increasingly concrete reality, we must consider that any change, even the smallest, always implies a factual and psychological readjustment. Ignoring this step would be a risk because, as Mario Paolucci, researcher at the Laboratory of Agent Based Social Simulation at ISTC-CNR, explains, “There will be repercussions on individuals and society. It is essential never to put the two sides at odds, and where possible one must try to solve conflicts.” The definition of new forms of human-machine collaboration will be one of the main challenges of the future, but the protagonists will always be humans, emphasises Alessia Golfetti: “Regardless of the amount and magnitude of change, no one wants to see creativity, flexibility and learning capacity entirely replaced by autonomous technology. The objective is to prepare the workforce for the new scenarios, with constant updating of skills.” What are these skills?
New professions and reskilling in the aviation sector
The Skill-UP (skilling, upskilling and reskilling in the future Air Transport) project, funded by the Erasmus+ research programme for the period 2021-2023 and coordinated by Deep Blue, aims to define new knowledge, skills and competences required in the aviation sector for different job profiles including air traffic controllers, pilots, airport operators and drone operators. The analysis of the main changes expected in the sector shows that the constant technological progress due to the digitisation of systems and the introduction of virtual reality will lead to a redefinition of the concept of human-machine interaction. Skill-UP summarised the future of aviation in four scenarios:
With the introduction of remote control towers, controllers will find themselves managing one or more airports simultaneously from remote. In this new context, they will have to learn to interact with new, highly sophisticated tools that will support them in air traffic management (download infographic).
The introduction of artificial intelligence and high levels of automation inside the cockpit will support the pilot by helping him or her maintain adequate levels of attention and workload during the various phases of the flight. In an increasingly automated and digitised environment, controllers and pilots will need to be able to understand how automation works in order to prevent and manage any critical issues. The role of the controller and pilot will change from an operational role to one more of supervision and validation of the decisions proposed by automation (download infographic).
At the airport, with increasing automation and digitisation of systems, jobs such as check-in will require less and less technical skills and more communication and interaction skills with the public (download infographic).
Finally, increasing levels of automation and digitisation of infrastructure and systems will allow drones to be integrated into the airspace, enabling a range of new services such as supervision and monitoring of critical infrastructure, delivery of goods, etc. (download infographic).
These future scenarios will not only transform the roles and skills of operators but also pave the way for new emerging professions, such as remote tower technicians, software and AI engineers and experts in virtual reality as well as robotics, Big Data analysts, drone and automated vehicle experts, security and cyber attack experts and experts in ethical issues linked to privacy.
Training and updating of transversal skills
Addressing these transitions will require the integration of soft skills, which are increasingly in demand by companies that are investing in training to enhance creativity, critical thinking and communication in their work group. In fact, it is estimated that by 2030 the demand for these skills will increase across all sectors by 22%. The soft skills most in demand in aviation will be, according to Alessia Golfetti:
Situational awareness: being able to understand the context, predict what will happen and act accordingly. In an increasingly automated environment, it will be necessary to understand how to manage new systems and identify potential critical issues in order to be able to anticipate possible problems, and manage any malfunctions by regaining control over the system.
Decision-making and problem-solving skills: ability to identify potential risks and define a set of actions to solve them. The operator must be able to intervene quickly and make decisions in the event of automation failure.
Self Evaluation & Self Management: ability to monitor one’s own performance, identify possible signs of tiredness, fatigue, excessive workload, to prevent potential errors. Adaptability and resilience to change: being able to understand the change taking place and the main resistance to change in order to be able to work in new operational contexts.
Services and training for the aviation and ATM sector
In recent years, Deep Blue has overseen several European research projects on the future of aviation and the skills required: KAAT, Skill-UP and MOTO are some of them. This experience has led to the design of services and training courses to explore the potential of innovative technologies in different working environments, without losing sight of the centrality of human labour and with the aim of achieving safer and more efficient working environments. The method used is that of back-casting: the future scenario is defined and then, going backwards, the tools to successfully achieve the goal are defined.
What do our services offer?
An understanding of the main tasks and skills currently in demand in the sector;
an understanding of the changing trends in work and future professions;
acquisition of the new technical and transversal skills required by the sector;
acquisition of customised tools and training to adapt to new scenarios in order to remain competitive, through targeted Skilling training for new entries and Upskilling and Reskilling for professionals who may need to update or acquire new skills.
The aim is to allow workers to form a clear vision of the future, reducing uncertainty and enhancing active involvement in the transformation process.
For more on this topic, we recommend reading the interview with Linda Napolitano, R&D Project Manager and expert in Manufacturing and New Skills, “What competency and expertise for the future of ATM?”.
