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"Bringing the Industry Together"
Volume 2, Edition
2 Tuesday, January
11, 2005
PPSEC / PCTIA
The BC Government has replaced its Private Post
Secondary Education Commission (PPSEC) with the Private Career Training
Institutions Agency (PCTIA). Apart from adding another acronym to the
government brand of alphabet soup, the new agency is mandated to collect 1%
of tuition fees to fund the reimbursement of students that lose their fees
to bankruptcy or fraud.
For BC FTUs and some operators offering specialized
commercial pilot training or upgrades such as checks on type or mountain
flying training, 1% could add up to a lot on money. It could also affect
non BC organizations accredited to give training funded by BC Governmental
Institutions such as the WCB or the ICBC. And finally the PCTIA fund could
set a less than desirable precedent for other Canadian jurisdictions.
HAC therefore set up a meeting with PCTIA to see what
could be done to minimize or eliminate potential negative impacts on the
helicopter pilot training industry. In preparation for that meeting BC
members of the HAC FTU Committee met the day before to analyze how
helicopter flight training would fit into the bureaucratic structure
established by the Private Career Training Institutions Act. The meeting
was chaired by Lyle Watts, President & CFI Heli-College Canada, and
attendees at the preparatory meeting included: Bonny Friesen, Office
Manager, BC Helicopters; Gerry Friesen, President & CFI, BC Helicopters;
Jan Rustad, CFI, Canadian Helicopters (Penticton); Cathy
Press, President & CFI, Chinook Helicopters; and Keith McMillan, CFI
(helicopter), Pro IFR.
The Committee concluded that although PCTIA’s
constitutional jurisdiction over flying schools was tenuous several schools
wanted to maintain the accreditation acquired from PPSEC, others wanted
nothing to do with the provincial government and no one wanted to turn over
1% of flying training revenues. Fortunately, by the end of the strategy
session HAC delegates to the PCTIA meeting had a clear vision of how the
helicopter flying training industry could live with the new Act without
ruffling anyone’s feathers and without creating any precedents that
could be dangerous for other parts of the country.
Lyle Watts, Jan Rusted, and Brian Jenner formed the HAC
delegation that actually met the next day with Jim Wright, Executive
Director, PCTIA and Susan Williams, Accreditation Officer, PCTIA. At the
outset, HAC took the position that although PCTIA’s jurisdiction over
flying schools was tenuous, the Association had decided to defer its final
decision on the issue while it worked with PCTIA to find ways to
facilitate the voluntary inclusion of schools and to minimize conflicts
with others who refused to be subjected to more bureaucracy. The meeting
went quite well; partly because we knew exactly what we wanted and how to
get it and partly because as a para-governmental “agency” PCTIA
has regulatory latitude that PPSEC did not have.
As a result, registration of FTUs and/or operators
offering specialty training will be voluntary for those organizations who
know how to present their case. For those organizations seeking
registration because they want to be accredited for government
contracts, 1% of “tuition” fees can translate into a very
minimal amount, if the case is properly presented to PCTIA. HAC
members should contact their Association for details as to how to most
advantageously file their paperwork in regard to PCTIA’s call for
registration.
www.h-a-c.ca
We proudly salute our 2005 Corporate Sponsors
ACROHELIPRO Global Services, Agusta Aerospace, Aon
Reed Stenhouse,
Bell Helicopter Canada, Eurocopter Canada, Marsh Canada,
Pratt & Whitney Canada, Standard Aero, Turbomeca Canada Inc.
HAC's 9th Annual Convention & Trade Show
April
10 - 12, 2005 Vancouver, BC, Canada
The Hyatt Regency Vancouver Hotel
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