We asked Vanja a few questions about her working experience as an aviation trainer
1) Initially, what inspired you to start a career in aviation?
“I have always been drawn to the airplanes and the sky. Maybe because aviation runs in my blood, and maybe because I’m still very fascinated by the whole idea of flying.
Without a doubt, I can say that my love of aviation began at an early age. Of course, at the time, I was only interested in being “up in the air”. Many years later, after spending some time working as a flight attendant, I have realized that I am definitely attracted towards this dynamic and rapidly expanding industry, but that I would like to try to do something little bit different. I did not regret it.”
2) For how long have you been delivering aviation courses?
“I have been working as a dangerous goods instructor for the last 10 years. So far, I have trained several thousand individuals employed in different airlines, airports, freight forwarder companies, etc. I am very grateful for the opportunity to cooperate with people from different parts of the world and to experience working in a multicultural environment.”
3) Which aspects do you find most rewarding in your career?
“In my opinion, being a trainer in aviation is both personally and professionally rewarding career. Maybe the most rewarding part is when I see that all my efforts and sharing dangerous goods knowledge are giving positive results.
In addition, working with people of different backgrounds always require you to gain deeper knowledge on a specific topics and to keep up with the latest news in the airline industry, in order to answer all questions and to create an interactive learning environment. This usually means that you are constantly acquiring new information while in the same getting better at your job by gaining experience.”
4) What can the delegates expect from the forthcoming Dangerous Goods training session?
“Training for Acceptance of Dangerous Goods (former Category 6) has always been considered one of the most demanding and challenging training in the aviation industry. During this course, all delegates should become very familiar with the content of IATA Dangerous Goods Regulation manual, they should learn how to use it properly, and therefore, after the training, they should be able to accept/reject all kinds of dangerous goods shipments. During the following training session, nothing will be learnt by heart. The focus will be on practical exercises, so delegates will be ready to demonstrate their knowledge right after they leave the training room.
When it comes to training for dangerous goods instructors (train the trainer), I will do my best to make this course very useful, interesting and interactive. Delegates will receive guidance on how to prepare the entire training material for different job functions, how to deliver training in the best possible manner, how to check and access participants’ knowledge properly, how to deal with various challenges, etc. Of course, CBTA requirements will be covered as well. According to the training plan, there will be a lot of group discussion, and all delegates will be required to answer many questions without the possibility of giving the wrong answer. In other words, all of us will share our opinions on certain topics, we will learn a lot from each other, and eventually, I’m sure that together, we will come to many useful and inspiring conclusions.”
5) Lastly, what motivates you as an aviation instructor?
“Working as an instructor in aviation sector can be incredibly demanding, but in the same time very interesting and satisfying. All the time, course participants experience challenges, especially when learning new difficult things. Being a trainer allows you to support them, help them, and then to watch them developing their skills. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing participants finally succeed at something they previously struggled.
And of course, aviation is a small world. It makes me happy and motivated to keep going when several months, or even years, after completed training, I hear that some of my attendees reacted adequately, spot a specific mistake, reject the shipment and maybe prevent potential incident or accident from happening.”
About Sofema Aviation Services
Since 2008 our company provides a clear understanding of the regulatory environment and acts as an enabler to help organisations focus on organisational performance with the understanding that Regulatory Compliance is a step on the journey and not the destination. Over the years we have helped many thousands of aviation professionals gain a deep understanding of both the regulatory environment as well as competence-building vocational training. Since our start, we have had over 125,000 enrollments.
Sofema Aviation Services www.sassofia.com and our sister company Sofema Online www.SofemaOnline.com currently provide 700+ Classroom & Webinar courses available together with over 400 online courses.
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Next Steps
If you want to know more about our services, visit our websites www.sassofia.com & www.SofemaOnline.com, or email us at team@sassofia.com!
