Online application from May 31 & graduates to serve as evaluation panel
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT, Minister Noh Hyeong-ouk) announced that it will launch an English Proficiency Test for Aviation (EPTA)* Specialist Training Program for four weeks from June 21 to July 16, 2021.
* The English Proficiency Test for Aviation, or EPTA, is a test introduced by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and practiced by states with their own versions. It is a test of English proficiency specially designed to apply to pilots, air traffic controllers and radio communication operators of international aircraft.
The Korean version of EPTA has been implemented since 2006 and commissioned to Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) when computer-based test (CBT) was introduced in 2019.
It is an English listening and speaking proficiency test in which test takers are expected to answer various routine and abnormal situations that pilots may experience in the course of performing their duties. They are graded comprehensively on 6 categories of features—pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence structure, comprehension, delivery and fluency.
The grading system ranges from level 1 to level 6 and the highest is level 6. In order for pilots and air traffic controllers to engage in international operation, they must obtain a minimum of level 4 or higher.
It is administered flexibly in consideration of the test demand, and currently being provided four times every Tuesday and Thursday respectively (10 test-takers per session), and on Saturday once a month. An average of 4,000 people can take the test every year.
In the last three years (2017-2019) before the COVID-19 pandemic, an average of 3,500 people took the test, but the number slightly dropped to around 3,100 right after the disease outbreak in 2020.
The decrease is only temporary caused by the slowdown of aviation industry in the aftermath of the pandemic and the demand for the EPTA is expected to continue to increase in the future, considering the vaccination progress and social resilience.
About 20 test reviewers are active in Korea, but considering that the number of test takers is growing by 5% annually, the demand for more specialists to assess and develop new test questions is on the rise.
In response to such demand, the MOLIT is set to launch a training program for the first time since its introduction of the test, in an effort to provide those who in the field of English education and English language evaluation with aeronautical knowledge to train them as next generation EPTA specialists.
The entire curriculum is free of charge, and the selected individuals will complete a total of 67 hours of training after 4 weeks of online and offline learnings.
A graduate of the program who meets the panel criteria* will be eligible for TS’s EPTA evaluation panel to serve as a member for one year.
* Individuals who apply for an opening and pass the selection process after obtaining EPTA level 5 or higher only
Applicants can fill out the form on the TS website (www.kotsa.or.kr, ) during the period between May 31 and June 10 and submit it via email at airtest@kotsa.or.kr.
The nomination will be shortlisted to 10 individuals, by a group of expert reviewers who will examine the applicants’ basic credentials such as work experience and academic background based on their submitted dossier, preferred qualifications for extra credit such as nationally certified English test scores (paper screening for the 1st round) followed by a language proficiency interview (2nd round).
“The nature of aviation, which is based on English language, places a high importance in verifying the language proficiency of pilots and air traffic controllers to ensure aviation safety,” said Mr. YU Kyung-soo, Director of aviation safety policy at MOLIT.
“I am looking forward to many interested applicants in the business of English language who wish to explore the field of aviation,” he added.