Aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs) holding qualifications from the United Kingdom and the United States can now apply for an Australian Part 66 licence under a new recognition pathway introduced by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The pathway is designed to help address skills shortages in the aircraft maintenance sector, particularly in regional Australia, while maintaining the country's existing safety standards.
The scheme will run as a 12-month trial, with a review at the six-month mark, allowing CASA to closely monitor outcomes and confirm the reforms are meeting their key objective of alleviating skilled labour shortages in regional areas.
The new pathway expands Australia's ability to readily recognise overseas qualifications, though engineers from other countries retain the ability to obtain an Australian licence through the established recognition of prior learning assessment process.
Following extensive consultation, the trial has been limited initially to the recognition of qualifications from the United Kingdom and the United States, chosen for their large general aviation sectors and workforces. CASA said this would allow it to focus its initial rollout before considering wider expansion.
During the trial, CASA will gather data on the initiative's effectiveness and impact, which will inform a future decision on whether to continue or expand the scheme to other countries.
The scheme came into effect on 3 July. Further details on eligibility and application steps are available on CASA's aircraft maintenance engineer pages.