The IGA Academy, an offshoot of Turkey’s Istanbul Airport, offers a wide-ranging aviation-related training curriculum for current and future aviation professionals, including airport personnel such as ramp handlers, baggage handlers and cargo handlers
The IGA Academy aims to provide high-quality training and certification programmes to help current and future aviation professionals to develop the skills and knowledge they need to perform their jobs effectively.
Its training programmes are designed to meet the standards set by international aviation organisations, providing airside training to the airport’s own staff and to other national and international students.
As well as classroom-based training, it also offers hands-on airside training on the ramp. Moreover, in addition to its standard courses, the Academy offers extra practical training opportunities in which students can put their theoretical knowledge into practice. This includes extended field tours and a complementary five-day on-the-job training course.
The learning methodologies of today’s generation are more evidence-based, learner-centric, data-driven and technology-enabled, a spokesperson for the Academy tells Airside. “The most important value of our training programmes is to provide a unique experience that closes the gap between theory and practice.”
The spokesperson continues: “We promise to teach using the latest technology and with evidence-based learning methodology. The ‘practice makes perfect’ saying is rusty. Perfect practice makes perfect. Therefore, what is vital is not the quantity but the quality of practice. This is what makes IGA unique.”
The Academy also offers Secondee Programmes (employee exchange programmes) with other international airports.
Having been accredited as an Airports Council International (ACI) Training Center as well as a Regional Training Partner of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the IGA Academy is also in the process of working towards TRAINAIR PLUS Programme (TPP) accreditation from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Basic training programmes offered by the Academy include: Airport Safety and Basic Operation Training; Training in Runway Safety and Runway Infringement Prevention; Apron Management and Apron Safety Training; Runway, Apron and Taxiway Control Training; Wild Animal and Bird Counter-Measure Training; Basic ARFF Training in Rescue and Firefighting; Training in Physical Characteristics of Runways, Aprons and Taxiways; and Operations in Adverse Weather Conditions Training, amongst many others.
