Aerospace auditing:
only the best
reveals how aerospace auditing training is tackling the industry’s pending skills shortage
In a field where product failure and poor quality simply isn’t an option, accreditation is vital. In response to this certainty, 20 years ago the Nadcap accreditation programme was created.
As the largest programme for evaluating suppliers in the aerospace industry, Nadcap is a global industry-managed co-operative audit and accreditation programme for aerospace engineering, defence and related industries. Administered by the Performance Review Institute, the programme provides independent certification of manufacturing processes in the sector.
Nadcap accredits suppliers to the aerospace industry in a range of special processes and products. In order to conduct more than 4,000 audits around the world each year, PRI contracts more than 150 auditors who are all experts in their particular field. The auditors are interviewed and selected by aerospace industry experts to ensure that industry expectations are met.
Training and development
Among other challenges, one of the main problems facing the aerospace sector is ageing personnel. Fewer new engineers are entering the industry as a result of a decrease in resources to train new recruits after the 1970s. Encouraging new engineers and maintaining the skills of those currently in the industry is therefore vital for the future.
With this in mind, one of PRI’s main focuses is to ensure that Nadcap auditors keep their skills current. Each year, all Nadcap auditors are required to attend training hosted by Nadcap subscribers such as EADS, GE Aviation and Goodrich Corp.
As well as technical sessions focused on their area of special process or product expertise, including reference to updated industry standards and Nadcap subscriber specifications, there are also more general sessions where auditors can share and discuss their best practice ideas. The training event lasts a few days, allowing unstructured networking and support systems to emerge, which can be invaluable for auditors out in the field year-round.
For many Nadcap auditors, the variety of their daily work is enough. Auditors regularly travel to different countries, working with different companies. But for those who are looking for career progression, there is a clear path.
Based on quarterly performance evaluations – which give weight to the views of PRI staff and the companies that have been audited – Nadcap auditors may progress to lead auditor status. In some instances, this means they are given responsibility for training incoming auditor candidates and providing feedback on their suitability.
For other Nadcap auditors, it can be frustrating to only report audit results without the capacity to support process improvement at the companies they visit. In these cases, they may decide to expand their role by becoming an instructor for PRI’s professional development programmes eQuaLearn and eQuaLified, which offer quality and special process personnel training and certification.
Martin Bridge, a Nadcap auditor, chose to pursue this option. He says: 'I’ve seen from the Nadcap audits I’ve participated in that this training is really needed. As the workforce ages and younger generations of employees enter the workforce, there’s a natural degradation in knowledge. The colleges and universities don’t teach this anymore. Somebody has to do it.'
About the author
Arshad Hafeez is the executive director of global business development and corporate strategies, research and development, at Performance Review Institute. Learn more about Nadcap at www.pri-network.org
