Registered with NZQA in August 2021, JNP Aviation Training is a new training provider, backed by its parent company JNP Aviation with over 15 years’ experience within the aviation industry. When asked about the journey from the provision of airport services to training, JNP CEO Josh Payne’s face lights up.

“Our own ground handling operation, JNP Aviation, works at 16 different ports across New Zealand. We can provide our staff with the opportunity to grow on a personal level because we have the ability to send them to the different ports that we operate at when and where there is a need. Because we were doing this on a large scale, and because many of our staff members never had the opportunity to gain qualifications, I started to think…. We were able to provide them with industry training, and that is fantastic in a highly safety regulated work environment. However we also wanted to be able to give people the opportunity to gain pride by receiving actual qualifications for their skills and knowledge.. .We wanted to take it to the next level.”

“In our industry it’s highly regulated – it’s safety focused. We’re dealing with millions of dollar’s worth of machines on a daily basis. It’s a lot of money, a lot of gear, a lot of assets. That requires our guys to be on point all of the time – they are highly skilled. However, that skill set wasn’t recognised as a qualification in the ground operations industry – for our guys that are loading the bags, that are refuelling the aircraft, marshalling the aircraft or that are catering aircraft and I wanted to bring some recognition into what our guys actually do. It is just as an important part of the puzzle as the pilots and flight attendants who are certified.”

The team at JNP Aviation Training [JNPAT] now offer the New Zealand Certificate in Aviation Ground Handling (Level 3) Ramp Operations strand, a 4098 Assessing in Industry mini certification, and have more in development with a micro credential in aviation security, aircraft cleaning and ‘front of house’ qualifications all seeking NZQA approval. As part of the Certificate’s programme development, Alice worked through the pre-assessment moderation with Ringa Hora’s Quality Assurance team.

“To have Ringa Hora as support has been fantastic when it came to all these industry assessments. There were areas where myself and the SME’s were developing the assessments for new students, but also needed them to  work for trainees already in industry. The moderators were awesome when at times  I had to think… how can I assess this? Can I do that particular bit like this? And they helped me nut through this which has been such a valuable part of the process.”

“I’ve done a lot of moderation work over the years myself, so I do understand and value the process. I welcome any feedback. You know you send your assessments to get the experts’ feedback really, to make your assessments as good as they can be. So yes, I found the whole team to be so positive.”

The team at JNP Aviation Training [JNPAT] now offer the New Zealand Certificate in Aviation Ground Handling (Level 3) Ramp Operations strand, a 4098 Assessing in Industry mini certification, and have more in development with a micro credential in aviation security, aircraft cleaning and ‘front of house’ qualifications all seeking NZQA approval. As part of the Certificate’s programme development, Alice worked through the pre-assessment moderation with Ringa Hora’s Quality Assurance team.

“To have Ringa Hora as support has been fantastic when it came to all these industry assessments. There were areas where myself and the SME’s were developing the assessments for new students, but also needed them to  work for trainees already in industry. The moderators were awesome when at times  I had to think… how can I assess this? Can I do that particular bit like this? And they helped me nut through this which has been such a valuable part of the process.”

“I’ve done a lot of moderation work over the years myself, so I do understand and value the process. I welcome any feedback. You know you send your assessments to get the experts’ feedback really, to make your assessments as good as they can be. So yes, I found the whole team to be so positive.”

Josh would love to see the training school become a one-stop shop for all kinds of aviation training, providing different pathways for different students.

“I know that the industry has been hammered through COVID. However, we only see opportunities. There is a massive need in the aviation industry, where we need people to further develop and adapt, to help with quicker aircraft turnarounds, have more aircraft fly in and out. We want to be at the forefront of education, to give people that tangible certificate. Not only because it increases the capabilities of staff members, it is an achievement to be proud of for those staff – on a personal level.  We want to enable that proud moment and provide staff with a formal qualification to keep up with the regulated environment we work in.”

Josh has also seen the benefit of industry and education working together.

“By understanding the extent and depth of support and wellbeing considerations we must provide in an education setting, we have been able to apply this to our ramp handling business at JNP Aviation, to see what can we action and changes we can make to enhance the wellbeing of our staff. That’s primarily because of what Alice’s brought to the party in regards to our obligations of provision for our students. So yes, it’s enhanced our industry business.”

Alice agrees. “I think it’s quite a unique opportunity for us because often the provider of education requires the WDC to encourage and foster a relationship with industry. In our situation we’ve got the industry business (JNP Aviation) and the education organisation (JNP Aviation Training) working together – literally side by side. And as Josh says there’s always going to be ‘spill over’ because the new students and school gateway programs immediately get that industry bit, and the industry gets a bit of the education.”

“There’s so much going on in aviation and so much development with industry. I have good support with NZQA – there’s particular people there that I can call and ask ‘how can I do this?’ And now it’s great to have another supporting external body like Ringa Hora that I can ring up or email just to ‘check in’. So with all that development that Josh is talking about, it’s awesome to know that we’ve got Ringa Hora’s support.”

Learn more about our moderation services here