Female tower air traffic controller. Our air traffic control in training program provides an excellent opportunity for candidates who have no previous air traffic control experience.

If selected as a trainee, and when your employment commences, you will receive world class training, leading to the AVI50115 Diploma of Aviation (Air Traffic Control).

You will be paid while you train and, upon successful completion of your training, you will enjoy a career with excellent working conditions and competitive rewards and benefits.

In order to perform this critical role in the aviation industry, you will need to demonstrate:

  • good spatial awareness and strong mathematical skills
  • excellent communication skills
  • the ability to work well under pressure and make quick, accurate decisions
  • the capability to plan ahead, as well as adapt to changing situations
  • enjoy taking charge and being accountable for your actions and decisions
  • be willing to do shift work 24/7, 365 days of the year
  • meet compulsory medical and security clearance requirements.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, you will need to meet BOTH the Residency and Educational eligibility requirements.

Residency requirements

You must:

  • be at least 18 years of age
  • be an Australian or New Zealand Citizen, or an Australian Permanent Resident.

Educational requirements

You must be able to provide evidence that you have obtained ONE of the following requirements:

  • a Year 12 secondary school certificate with evidence of passes in English and Maths (official transcript)

International qualifications will need to be assessed by an appropriate authority as equivalent to this educational qualification.

Recruitment process

While every effort is made to keep the recruitment process as short as possible, please understand that the process to appoint trainee air traffic controllers is thorough and will take some months to complete.

The steps

1. Online application form. Make sure you have all the correct supporting documentation included in your application.

2. Online ability assessments. The ability assessments are completed at home. The ability assessments to be completed are verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, numerical calculations, a checking test and a spatial test.

3. Video Interview. Progressed candidates from ability testing will be invited to submit a video-recorded presentation responding to a series of questions. The questions focus on key criteria for the role.

4. Assessment Centre. The Assessment Centre is conducted either a face to face or over Microsoft Teams. It has been designed to further assess your suitability and includes a supervised verification test, a group activity and a behavioural interview.

5. Reference check. You will be asked to provide details of two recent supervisors or managers. We will notify you before contacting any referees.

6. Pre-employment medical and security checks. If you are successful in completing the recruitment process you will be required to satisfy the requirements for medical and security checks.

7. Offer to commence ATC Training. If you satisfy all of the medical and security requirement you will be issued with an official offer to become and Air Traffic Control trainee (ATC trainee).

8. Start ATC Training. Once you have accepted the offer, you will start your journey to become an ATC trainee.

You can only apply for this position twice, so if your first application is unsuccessful you can only apply one more time. Once your application is submitted it will be counted as one attempt.

Trainee air traffic controller.

Training

You will undergo training to become an air traffic controller at Airservices training facilities in Melbourne. Training delivery is face-to-face and consists of theory and practical components, with practical training undertaken in air traffic control simulators. The training program varies, however it is approximately 12 months for the Tower stream and 14 months for the Enroute stream. On-the-job training times can also vary.

During training you will work towards the AVI50115 Diploma of Aviation (Air Traffic Control). This is a nationally recognised qualification, developed specifically for the Australian aviation industry.

Air Traffic Control tower at night-time. Locations

If you are selected for Enroute training you will be based in our Melbourne or Brisbane centre after your training.

If you are selected for Tower you could be posted to any of our 28 control towers for final field training and ongoing employment. Where possible, we will attempt to accommodate your preference. As a trainee tower controller you are expected to be flexible regarding location, and may be posted to any of the tower locations. Notification of final posting location will occur towards the completion of the training course.

Relocating to Melbourne

If you need to relocate to Melbourne for your training, Airservices may provide limited assistance to you, depending on individual circumstances.