Ahead of EATS 2026, Training Leaders Grapple With Instructor Shortages and Inconsistent Competency Assessment

A preview of the Approved Training Organisation stream at this year's European Airline Training Symposium (EATS 2026) outlines the central tension flight schools face in producing airline-ready pilots: instructor numbers are shrinking just as training methods are expected to become more sophisticated. Stream moderator Paul Preidecker says the sessions will focus on measuring training performance and making sure flight schools understand what airlines actually need from new hires. Boeing Global Services' Nick Munns will discuss making EASA's Area 100 knowledge-skills-attitude competency framework consistent in practice through scenario-based learning and analytics, while Amris Aviation's Cedric Paillard will propose portable, ICAO-aligned competency records that would follow a pilot from initial training through to airline line operations. On the instructor shortage itself, evoAPTL's Glyn Chadwick will look at recruitment strategies for an aging workforce, and the UK CAA's Helen Heenan will argue for standardizing around SMART learning objectives while still leaving individual instructors room to teach in their own style. Preidecker flags assessment consistency as one of the hardest unresolved problems in competency-based training, since judging something like workload management fairly requires instructors to interpret behavior the same way, which is difficult to guarantee across a large instructor pool. The preview also flags discussion of AI applications in training and whether current simulator regulation adequately credits newer VR and XR training devices. Preidecker calls these industry gatherings "group therapy," where flight schools often discover they're not the only ones dealing with these issues.