Real-World Aircraft Engine Training for Customers

GE - Aviation’s commitment to safety and reliability is backed by its network of customer support services, including an all-encompassing menu of GE and CFM aircraft engine training opportunities—on site, online and hands-on.

The recently renovated 83,000-square-foot Customer Technical Education Center (CTEC) serves as the business’ training hub, where more than 4,500 customer students—mechanics, powerplant engineers and other representatives—pass through the doors each year. Located just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, CTEC’s world-class instructors and facilities ensure the most current technical information and state-of-the-art training environments are available for each GE and CFM International product.

Updated Offerings
“GE has a vast history of aviation innovations,” says Tim Meyers, manager, Customer Training Services. “In our updated CTEC facility, we’ve taken these GE products and technologies and moved them into the classroom to ensure each student receives a finely tuned original equipment manufacturer [OEM] training experience.”

Ensuring course offerings keep pace with the industry is an ongoing effort. The Customer Training Services (CTS) group continually studies flight data and holds monthly “Voice of the Customer” lunches, which help the instructional team create curricula that respond to customers’ real-world operating environments.

The updated CTEC facility is a multimedia showcase of key GE - Aviation parts, repairs and technologies as well as the airframes and equipment on which they are used.

Digitization of Training
As the world goes digital, so does Customer Training Services. CTS has developed new on-demand digital training products to deliver vital maintenance information directly to the maintainer.

• Distance education has been launched, which allows customers to receive the academic portions of traditional instructor-led classes by logging into a standard online collaborative meeting format.

• The new “all-digital” GEnx* classroom provides each student with the use of a computer, allowing students to thoroughly interactwith the instructor and course materials.

• Digital Training Aids (DTAs) provide a mechanic with information about specific procedures that have been linked to critical errors.

“We will continue to employ the most modern teaching methods using hands-on applications and instructions on products and tooling—that’s irreplaceable,” says Meyers. “In tandem, we will offer new and innovative digitized solutions that meet customers’ increasing demand for training and help them reduce their engine cost of ownership.”

CLMT Links GE, Customers

Customer Training Services’ new online Customer Learning Management Toolkit (CLMT) provides direct online customer access to the entire GE library of Digital Training Solutions. Using this Web-based scheduling management tool, customer training coordinators can: Review training schedules Register students for instructor-led training, including distance education Monitor their company’s training credits In the coming months, CTS will begin to post its e-Familiarization and Digital Training Aids on the CLMT. Student access to this system will allow customers’ employees to take digital training and view, but not register for, instructor-led training schedules.i “The CLMT is accessible via GE’s Customer Web Center,” says Tim Meyers, manager, Customer Training Services. “We want to be responsive to our customers’ needs. This toolkit allows them to be more in control of their training and to request training without first having to contact one of our customer service managers. Customers can enroll and unenroll, check up-to-the-moment class availability and, in second quarter 2008, they will also be able to take online computer-based training—all through the CLMT.”