The NBAA has introduced a new safety manager certificate programme providing introductory to mid-level education on safety in business aircraft operations, reflecting the association's commitment to safety as one of its core values.

Developed in collaboration with Advanced Aircrew Academy, Convergent Performance and Fireside Partners, the programme includes education and testing in six key areas of safety management: leadership, safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, safety promotion and emergency response. After completing the course successful participants will receive a certificate and a digital badge to validate their knowledge.

The programme is intended to establish a baseline knowledge, identify resources that safety managers can rely upon as references and encourage advanced learning in the areas of safety management, rather than to create expertise in every domain.

“NBAA saw a need to develop an entry to mid-level certificate designed for new and existing safety managers,” says NBAA director, certification Tyler Austin. “This certificate will educate and validate what these safety professionals need to know to effectively manage a business aviation organisation's safety management efforts.”

“The primary objective of the assessment-based certificate programme is to help flight department personnel who have been assigned safety management responsibilities, typically as an ancillary duty, so they can effectively manage a business aviation organisation's safety management efforts, including its safety management system,” says NBAA director, safety and flight operations Mark Larsen.

The programme is being offered in two eight-week periods each year, and will include several hours each week of asynchronous learning modules, independent self-study reading reference material, webinar interaction for additional learning, an “ask the experts” component and a test preparation session. The programme will begin being offered in January 2022.