Abolish NCEPT
- Thread starter 1ATCLifer
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Phanatical
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Raise when?
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But why?
32andBelow
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Negotiate our fucking contract
It is no secret that NCEPT is the most hated program ever “collaborated.” What was touted as the solution to the staffing problem has proven for 7 years to be a solution to nothing. NCEPT has succeeded only in disgruntling a huge portion of the work force and bringing morale down to an all time low. It has stifled the career progression of well qualified journeyman controllers in favor of a lottery with no regard for merit or seniority. And it has pitted union brothers and sisters against one another. Throughout the years it has become painfully obvious that the only honest solution to the staffing problem is hiring more controllers. At this point NCEPT itself serves only as a distraction that detracts from efforts that should be focused on the actual solution. A distraction that every quarter becomes a main topic of discussion at every facility with the release of new numbers, new lists and a slew of new arbitrary rules for every other controller to disagree about. It is long over due that our leadership be held to account for the will of the dues paying membership. Not only when it comes to NCEPT but systemically through openness and transparency instead of threats and stonewalling. I know a lot of this may have already been discussed on this forum but this thread was created to reassess and confront the sentiment around NCEPT. Our leadership has had four opportunities every year, for the last seven years, to do away with his terrible policy and has failed to do so. If you can relate to this post I encourage you to share it with your colleagues and local leadership to promote an open dialog around this controversial subject.
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Squawk VFR
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BigEggplant
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I mean, I was picked up once under the old way and once under NCEPT. I think NCEPT is terrible and will not work until you have 70-80% of facilities fully staffed.
NCEPT is made far far worse by the FAA’s current academy placement process. FWIW when I was hired I was allowed to choose two states during the initial application process. I still live/ work in that state that I was hired for. But it’s the FAA, not sure how to effect any change at that level.
32andBelow
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No then they’ll just change national average to 98% and no one will be able to release
AnyTrafficPleaseAdvise
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I think many people are in agreement that the staffing and transfer process could be better. So, step one is to abolish NCEPT. Now fill the void for us. What transfer process would you implement next, and how is it better than the current process?
Cheese6432
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Why not just advertise every facility vacancy on USAJobs like the DoD does, or like they do with FLM announcements? People would apply where they actually want to go work, fill the rest with a lot more prior experience hires direct to the facilities, and give incentives for hard to staff facilities. Morale would be higher and people wouldn’t try to work the system as much (hardships/reinstatements). Have OTS vacancies choose states or at least regions before going to the academy so they’re not trying to find other ways to move as soon as they get to their first facility. Just my opinion. It means nothing to the agency/union, but career path is a choice to the individual, not the NCEPT lottery.
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They'll still try to move. There are a couple dozen highly desired facilities that everyone wants to go to. Doesn't matter if they are 5 or 500 miles away from it, they'll still have paperwork in. They used to do that, it's not like they just changed something that was working for no reason.
32andBelow
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What if they just like didn’t make people to move across the country from the start
Soul_Controller
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The workforce decided to make voluntary transfers the primary method of ATC movement. Why would the FAA throw that away for the bureaucratic red tape of job bids.
This has never changed the amount of ERRs. Most people take first job available, they don't wait for the perfect location. And the rest eventually prioritize money over living next to mommy and daddy.
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The real underlying issue is career enchancement versus career progression, the level structure, and pay. NCEPT is hot garbage but isn’t the root issue.
An alternative method to internal movement could be constructed that would be outside of USAjobs and the bureaucratic red tape, or even utilize the existing structure of USAjobs. Something as simple as a FAA internal page with all available air traffic control specialist openings that utilizes the ncept data to derive available slots. The intent of NCEPT was to remove as much human influence on the staffing of facilities and go through a data driven process. The technology is already available to automate data collection and store applicants. At a minimum, there is no reason the application process for inputting a request to transfer can only be accomplished via fax or in some cases email. It should be submitted to a single online source that compiles a running active list. Outside of that, there is a means to determine that a facility is at a certain staffing percentage, then there is a way for there to be an automated process to post a job opening on a web page like USAjobs or a similar product. Bottom line, the whole process still needs to be redesigned.
kombucha23
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These suggestions assume the FAA wants it to be an easy process. They don’t. The less correct packets and the less transfers, the better the agency feels about it. They aren’t gonna make it easier or more convenient for us to move around. That’s why NCEPT stays.
Picking states leaves some facilities with no one to fill them. Regions helps. But then you’ll have the same problem you have now, forcing people to go hundreds of miles away from where they want.
Same goes for the transfer process. The FAA needs to be able to staff the 312 facilities. unfortunately the only way to do that is force people to go there after the academy because sure as shit they aren’t going to force certified people there. Not ideal yes, but there is no other way to staff them. My suggestion is to contract them out.
You’ve had 700 plus hardships, many complete horse shit, since ncept, however many management sections and that’s screwed a lot of facilities and the ncept highlights even further how many facilities there are that no one wants to go to and how few people actually want to go to.
Same goes for the transfer process. The FAA needs to be able to staff the 312 facilities. unfortunately the only way to do that is force people to go there after the academy because sure as shit they aren’t going to force certified people there. Not ideal yes, but there is no other way to staff them. My suggestion is to contract them out.
You’ve had 700 plus hardships, many complete horse shit, since ncept, however many management sections and that’s screwed a lot of facilities and the ncept highlights even further how many facilities there are that no one wants to go to and how few people actually want to go to.
