< Previousto escape the brutal Soviet-Afghan war. She developed an interest in aviation at the age of 18 that led her to study at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. As a student, she founded the Women’s Ambassadors Program in 2011 to increase female enrollment at the university. In less than three years, under Waiz’s leadership, the program successfully helped increase female enrollment from 13 to 22 percent. In 2014, Waiz founded Dreams Soar Inc., a non-profit organization, to inspire the next generation of STEM and Aviation professionals. Dreams Soar began with the Dream Team at its core, a group of university students who applied their STEM education and talents towards building the foundation of the Dreams Soar initiative. Shaesta then added support from a Board of Directors and Advisory Council with seasoned professionals with industry experience, and made her dream a reality by partnering with strong female role models along her route so that together, they could promote the importance of STEM and aviation education around the world. For more information about Dreams Soar or to learn how to become a partner and support this initiative or make an online donation, visit dreamssoar.org. THE DREAMS SOAR ROUTE The Dreams Soar route final count included 30 stops in 22 countries on five continents totaling almost 25,000 nm flown, with 32 outreach events inspiring over 3,000 young girls and boys to reach for the stars with STEM. Each stop was strategically selected based on the need for STEM outreach.ATHENS, GREECE A group of high school students gather for a picture after having a tour of Shaesta’s aircraft. MONTRÉAL, CANADA Children meeting Charlie the bear, who was Shaesta’s “co-pilot” during her journey around the world. ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 20178DREAMS SOARHAYWARD, CALIFORNIA After crossing the pacific ocean and landing in California, Shaesta visited her middle school in Richmond, California and spoke to students about believing in their dreams and working hard to soar. KABUL, AFGHANISTAN The United Nations hosted Shaesta in Kabul where she had the opportunity to speak with young girls about her Dreams Soar global flight.MUMBAI, INDIAOne of the Mumbai outreach events was held at an all-girls orphanage where the young girls shared their dreams with Shaesta. SELETAR, SINGAPORE“Say Airplane for the camera”, elementary students gather together for a picture at the Singapore outreach event. DUBAI, UAEAn outreach event hosted by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airlines. ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 20179DREAMS SOARATTRACTING AND INFORMING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AVIATION PROFESSIONALS: THE ONLINE ‘FUNDAMENTALS OF THE AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM’ COURSEDR. SUZANNE KEARNS She is an Associate Professor who teaches, researches, and writes about aviation topics at the University of Waterloo. She is the creator and author of the FATS course. Dr. Kearns is also the author of an upcoming textbook associated with the FATS course titled ‘Fundamentals of International Aviation’ which will be published by Routledge in early 2018.10ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 2017THE NEXT GENERATION OF AVIATION PROFESSIONALS (NGAP)International aviation represents a massive and complex industry that is crucial to our global economy and way of life. A diverse group of professionals, working in a variety of jobs, make up the rich fabric of aviation. In recent years, various personnel forecasts have been produced with striking similarities: the projected growth of air traffic will require a steady stream of competent young professionals to enter the aviation industry, one that will probably exceed the capacity of the current global training pipeline. When ICAO’s General Assembly designated the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) programme as a Global Priority in 2016, they sent a clear signal to the industry that to meet future demands we need to explore and invest in methods to recruit and retain the next generation today.ATTRITION: AN ONGOING CHALLENGEWe have an established global training network that does an excellent job of efficiently and safely guiding young people along their transition into professional roles. Although several training methodologies, instructional design strategies, and technologies support this process (and are a topic for discussion in themselves) a crucial side issue is rarely discussed: attrition. Within aviation education programmes, it is not unusual to have an attrition rate higher than 50%. This means that more than half of the young people who choose an aviation programme do not successfully complete the programme requirements – perhaps for lack of financial resources or due to difficulties learning the material. Attrition also occurs after training is complete, when young people get their first experiences of aviation careers and decide that they aren’t well suited to the lifestyle or logistics of that role. All too often, when young professionals choose not to complete or continue with their first career choice, they leave the aviation industry entirely to explore other opportunities (rather than seeking another role within the aviation sector). Gone are the days when we can be satisfied with this status quo. To support the future growth of the industry, we must support every learner who has the “ ...this means that more than half of the young people who choose an aviation programme do not successfully complete the programme requirements...”11ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 2017capacity to achieve competence, so they can find their place within aviation. This may mean suggesting an alternative occupation which they might not have previously considered. TRADITIONAL TRAINING PROCESSIt’s helpful to pause for a moment and reflect upon how training is traditionally conducted within the aviation industry. In general, we teach young people to become competent in a specific profession within a specific country. Consider that we train someone to be a pilot in Singapore, an air traffic control officer in China, or a maintenance engineer in Australia, among many other possibilities. For most professionals, several years of job-specific education are completed before one earns the privilege to enter an operational role. Once in that role, they often expand their horizons to learn how their profession is conducted differently in other countries thereby developing a rich understanding of other professions in the aviation industry. With the growth projected in aviation, a challenge with the traditional approach will be that the career path of the next generation of aviation professionals may be very different from their predecessors. They may accept job opportunities in foreign countries and perhaps even experience moves between several different job roles. To maximize retention within our industry, we need to rethink the traditional methods of early aviation education so that young people can make informed career choices (earlier) that best align with their interests and ambitions. Rather than ab initio training with a narrow focus (on a specific profession within a specific country) that grows to a broad understanding after NGAPs enter the workplace, it is possible to flip this traditional approach and make a young person’s first introduction to aviation education a broad international perspective on all of the interconnected professional groups. This approach could provide a foundation of industry awareness to help the next generation make an informed professional choice as they embark on their education, and support retention of talented young people within the aviation industry (so they know there are a range of careers within the sector).FUNDAMENTALS OF THE AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEMThis goal presents an enormous logistical challenge! How can we teach the next generation of aviation professionals, distributed around the world, about international aviation? Taking on this challenge, ICAO partnered with the University of Waterloo on the ‘Fundamentals of the Air Transport System’ (FATS) eLearning course. FATS is an asynchronous course (meaning without a direct connection between the learner and the instructor) which allows for the course to be completed by anyone around the world who has an interest in aviation.The course contains nine modules that cover the following topics: 1) air law; 2) aircraft; 3) operations; 4) navigation; 5) airports; 6) security; 7) environment; 8) accidents; and 9) safety. Each narrated module ranges between 45 and 90 minutes in duration, profiling aviation professionals who work within that sector. Modules incorporate a variety of media, using a combination of imagery, videos, and interactive cases, to allow learners to explore sector-related challenges and opportunities. Each module concludes with a review quiz, targeting the key learning objectives and allowing learners to test their understanding.SUPPORTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IN AVIATIONTo support the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of ‘quality education’ and ‘reduced inequalities’, the online delivery of the course will allow access to anyone with an internet connection around the world. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this course is that it will be offered for free – all of the educational content will be available at no cost. This ensures that young people, who might not have the resources to pay for training, have an opportunity to engage with the aviation industry and explore professional TOPICS COVERED IN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE AIR TRANSPORT SYSTEM COURSEICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 201712NEW ONLINE FUNDAMENTALS COURSEopportunities. For those who choose, a USD100 fee can be paid to access the final exam in the course. When learners achieve a passing score on the exam, they will be electronically issued an ICAO/University of Waterloo certificate, as a credential to begin building their professional portfolio.CONCLUSIONThe Fundamentals of the Air Transport System (FATS) course will be available on the ICAO website in late 2017. This course will be a tool that young professionals can use to find the aviation career that is best aligned with their interests and ambitions – while also serving as a resource to adults who are transitioning into the aviation industry from other sectors, and current aviation professionals who desire to learn more about how aviation works internationally. On 8 November 2017, ICAO’s Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu (centre left) and the President of the University of Waterloo, Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in support of a new joint educational programme. Pictured with Dr. Liu is Mr. Meshesha Belayneh (far left) ICAO’s Deputy Director in its Technical Cooperation Bureau and the Chief of its Global Aviation Training Office, while President Hamdullahpur is accompanied by Dr. Jean Andrey (right), the Dean of the school’s Faculty of Environment. The first initiative under the new agreement is the launch of an eLearning course at the ICAO Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) Global Summit, on the Fundamentals of the Air Transport System. Stressing the importance of making more and more young people aware of the diverse career opportunities in air transport globally, especially in light of forecast sectoral growth, Secretary General Liu emphasized that the new partnership represents an important additional step toward addressing future shortages of highly-skilled aviation personnel. ICAO AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO LAUNCH THE NEW eLEARNING COURSENEW ONLINE FUNDAMENTALS COURSEARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF WORKArtificial Intelligence—or AI—involves the engineering and programming of computers to perform tasks that would normally require human intelligence. While AI applications vary in sophistication and impact, machines have surpassed automation to actually learn from examples without being explicitly programmed for their intended output. Speculations about the impact of AI on life as we know it, run the gamut from utopian dreams to dystopian nightmares. Singularity theory subscribers expect that through machine learning, AI will surpass human cognitive intelligence, thus creating a superintelligence resulting in immeasurable changes for humanity. Though many see this as desirable, distinguished scientist Stephen Hawking warns that such advancements will allow computers to develop autonomous intelligence and overtake humans, posing a threat to our very existence.1While to date, major AI advancements have been made in terms of perception and cognition, it is only the tip of the digital transformation iceberg. As with many megatrends, the future is mostly uncertain, so it is crucial to formulate the right questions. In the overlapping fields of talent management and talent development, the top of mind question is to what degree machines will replace humans in the workforce, and as a consequence, how will that impact future employment needs? THE FIRST WAVE OF ASSISTED INTELLIGENCEMachines have already replaced many jobs that were once performed by humans. Menial and repetitive work that requires little-to-no analytical thinking skills, was the first to be phased out. The now-ubiquitous automatic teller machine began replacing KRISTINA SCHNEIDER She is the Senior Director, Operations and Learning Services at Aviation Strategies International (ASI) in Montréal, Canada, overseeing the activities of the ASI Institute. She manages the operations and educational technology for the Global ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme (AMPAP) and joined the team of ICAO TRAINAIR PLUS Training Development Course Instructors in 2012, and as Training Instructor in 2015.Redefining how people will work with technologyICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 201714ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEbank tellers in the late 1980s. While there was much uncertainty with regards to job security, in many cases employees stayed on board and were given the opportunity to develop other skills sets, which brought more value to the banks. The aviation industry has also benefited from automation, with the rise of self-service systems for passenger check-in, bag drop off, and border control, eliminating the need for many frontline airline, airport, and customs employees. The technological advancements that make it possible to swap out machines for humans in the examples above fall on the narrow side of the AI spectrum, which means that the machines operate within a limited pre-defined coded and predictable range. It is easily foreseeable that similar jobs will be increasingly replaced by machines. While there was much uncertainty during the early days of automation, decades of these transformations have demonstrated that increasing talent development has, in many cases, allowed for workers to enhance their skillset and perform more valuable jobs. Nevertheless, in some industries, millions of workers have been left behind. According to the National Centre for Education Statistics, enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions increased by 21 percent between 1994 and 2004, and increased another 17 percent between 2004 and 2014.2 All the while, the United States (US) population growth rate has been slowly declining. While it might not be the only factor for the increasing demand of a more competitive skillset, the near vacuum of positions for unskilled workers has surely created an incentive. Though these figures are based on US statistics, trends are being observed globally – but not always with a positive outlook. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review conducted a survey with human resources executives in Asia, which indicated 70 percent of respondents were under the assumption that significant job losses were imminent in Asia in the face of advancing AI. They attributed this to the fact that a high percentage of the work force were occupying low-skilled jobs in comparison to more developed economies.3 THE SOPHISTICATION OF AI TOWARDS AUGMENTED INTELLIGENCEIn what some are hailing as the second machine age, AI capabilities are being pushed through supervised learning systems, which allow for a machine to receive large data set examples of what the correct answer might look like for a particular problem.4 The deep learning algorithms employed through such initiatives are generating predictions and recommendations that are yielding important advancements in several industries such as finance, security, and medicine. Such decision making scenarios are currently being tested in the aviation field, with Boeing projecting testing pilotless aircrafts by 2018.5 This stellar advancement opens up a plethora of questions from ethics to liability. In our field of talent management and development, concerns are growing as well. However, AI may also potentially solve a problem. The ICAO Next Generation Aviation Professional initiative put forward some startling statistics: airlines will need to add 25,000 new aircraft over the next twenty years to meet growing traffic demands, which will more than double the current worldwide fleet. This means that in less than a decade, there will be a need for 480,000 new technicians to maintain these aircraft and over 350,000 pilots to fly them.6 The rapid development of AI capabilities—along with the requisite policy and regulation—could provide an important piece of the solution to the predicted talent shortage. However, it is not the case in all areas of aviation. The question of whether or not there will be enough jobs to gainfully employ everyone, is front of mind for many organizations in many industries. EMBRACING AI DISRUPTIONAdvancements in AI will create disruption at many levels, and more specifically, will impact how humans interact with machines. Accenture, an international business consultancy, has leveraged automation to increase employee capacity, allowing them to focus on higher level and higher touch advisory services. Accenture reports that as a result, both revenue and business service offerings have increased.7As a recent report produced jointly by the Human Resources Professionals Association and Deloitte Canada suggests, “human capability is wide and shallow. We can do a great many tasks, but none perfectly. AI, on the other hand, is narrow and deep: great at specific tasks, but within a limited range.”8 The report suggests that such contrasting core differences could yield remarkable synergies, enabling human-machine collaboration, and increasing overall productivity.AI DRIVEN TALENT MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENTWithin the practices of talent management, AI is enhancing the candidate selection process. While efficiencies are immediately evident with regard to processing large sets of data to predict optimal candidates, there is also the potential for reducing the bias in the hiring and promoting processes, so long as machines are taught to do so. In the field of talent development, computer-assisted learning is not a new phenomenon, AI will provide a wider range of possibilities in this practice. The critical and time consuming needs assessment phase has both the potential of being faster and more accurate through the analysis of not only an organization’s data — website, plans, reports — but also market place and industry data. Another big data puzzle is the measurement of learning and development impact: with so many variables affecting performance, one of ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 201715ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEthe greatest challenges is being able to draw a direct correlation between a development activity and performance improvement. AI allows for the rapid analysis and cross-referencing of an unlimited amount of information, translated into quantitative reports. At the individual level, AI can enhance learner engagement and personalize the delivery of knowledge by gaining an understanding of what motivates them, and adapting both the content and the delivery. In addition, smart interfaces are providing real-time contextual performance support to enhance service-level quality and efficiency, as well as provide on-the-job training. Despite this, adding AI to the mix can create some unprecedented problems. One of the emerging concerns is around the “interpretability” of a machine’s decision, since humans struggle to understand how a system has reached its decision.9 As examples, the over-reliance or misunderstanding of autopilot maneuvers, and the degradation of manual flight skills has complicated the matter in the case of some recent emergency situations.10 Many more similar cases are to be expected as humans and machines collaborate to accomplish tasks. ADAPTABLITY IS THE KEYAI is not only replacing humans in certain jobs, but it is actually changing the nature of work. From a larger perspective, the field of education requires re-examination and re-engineering as the skillsets required going forward are very different than the ones for which we are currently preparing people.11Adaptability at the individual, organizational, and societal level are essential for navigating the rapidly evolving technological landscape. While there is value in embracing AI rather than fearing it, foresight and governance, along with a good dose of skepticism, will serve us well. 1 Cellan-Jones, Rory. “Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind.” December 02, 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30290540.2 “The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics).” https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98.3 “Asia’s AI Agenda: Human Capital and AI.” MIT Technology Review. December 02, 2016. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602998/asias-ai-agenda-human-capital-and-ai/.4 “The Business of Artificial Intelligence.” Harvard Business Review. August 07, 2017. https://hbr.org/cover-story/2017/07/the-business-of-artificial-intelligence.5 Ahluwalia, Ravneet. “Pilotless planes could be possible by 2025.” The Independent. August 10, 2017. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/pilotless-plane-remote-controlled-flight-drone-aircraft-2025-aviation-technology-a7884911.html.6 “About NGAP.” ICAO. https://www.icao.int/safety/ngap/Pages/NGAPInitiatives2.aspx.7 Zhou, Adelyn. “Accenture Augments Human Capital with Artificial Intelligence to Stay Competitive.” Forbes. October 05, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adelynzhou/2017/10/04/accenture-augments-human-capital-with-artificial-intelligence-to-stay-competitive/.8 “The Intelligence Revolution: Future Proofing Canada’s Workforce.” Human Resources Professionals Association and Deloitte Canada. October 18, 2017. http://www.intelligencerevolution.com/.9 Harvard Business Review. op. cit.10 Kessler, Sarah. “Technology is setting us up for a training crisis.” Quartz. July 17, 2017. https://qz.com/1028532/technology-is-setting-us-up-for-a-training-crisis/11 “What does the second machine age mean for our jobs?” World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/09/video-second-machine-age-mean-jobs/.ICAO TRAINING REPORT – NUMBER 3 201716ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCEEXPLORE ICAO’S TRAINING SEARCH MECHANISMSelect from more than 130 ICAO-recognized courses to meet your training needs!FILTER multiple training criteria Fast & easy SEARCHFIND scheduled training sessions worldwide REGISTER online!VISIT ICAO’S GLOBAL AVIATION TRAINING SEARCH MECHANISM AT: WWW.ICAO.INT/TRAINING1432Next >