The training of cabin crew no 1s at Ryanair is a sham.It is not the no 1s fault but RYANAIR'S.
When you have been with Ryanair for1 year you are eligible for promotion,subject to further 'training'(I use the term loosly)
How future No1's are selected is very complex,and grueling...Your base supervisor looks at list of crew in the base,finds out who has hung around the longest or who hasnt been Terminated and bobs your uncle you have a few trainees!
No interviews,no assesments to see if they are suitable,nothing!Most crew who end up getting selected dont want it,because they know the strain that current No1's are under.Ryanair dont care if the person is intelligent,shy,good at there job,assertive, basically anything that other airlines would require future leaders to have, Ryanair couldnt care less...
So the trainees are given a training date and the print of a 'pre-coures' study pack which contains how to do bar paper work etc.
When the day comes,literally a day,well a few hours of training is given.The new leaders are given a few hours on how to do bar paperwork,brief a crew and offload crew and thats it,a little exam and your done!
After that you have to do a few training flights,basically you carry out the duties of a No1 under the supervision of another No1(who may only have been promoted).When you have completed 3 practice flights,you then get rostered 'offical' line checks,3 of them.
On your offical line checks your supervised by another No1 who hung around long enough and/or who wasn't Terminated,they watch how you work,give you some 'tips' and sign you off.You do 3 of them and your done,your now a qualified CSS incharge of 3 other crew,189 passengers and the future training of PRCC as they came along.
Ryanair No1's are given no extra training whatsoever on leadership,crew managment,crisis management etc.They are shown how to add figures on bar paper work and thats it!Some No1's have a lack of knowledge of the English language, to lead a crew in any situation.(as you can view ryanair memo,English language on our new website,which should be live in 48 hours.(www.irishaviationauthority.com).
Ryanairs lack of training for supervisors has been highlighted again and again in many very quiet accidents:
1.A Ryanair aircraft suffered a 'tail-strike'(When the back of the aircraft scratches the runway) on a flight from Manchester, the flight deck under that circumstance followed there instructions,which includes decompressing the aircraft so as not to cause any more damage.The No1 noticed that the aircraft decompressed and ran to the flight deck door and began shouting and banging on the door trying to get the attention of the pilots!
2.When a Ryanair aircraft ran off the runway at Limoges airport in France,the crew onboard were completly inexperienced.On the day in question,as I mentioned above,a junior crew member was under training to be a No1 and was sat in the No1's jumpseat at the front,while the actual No1 was sitting opposite.The Captain ordered an evacuation,but the trainee couldnt open the front door,so passengers had to help.The 2 other crew at the back who were inexperienced were confused and didnt even know that an evacuation was happening!
When the pilots left the flight deck after over 3minutes,there was still some passengers wondering around the aircraft trying to find there bags!
Two prime examples of Ryanairs 'training' standards for supervisors.It wasnt the supervisors fault that they couldnt handle the situation,they simple were not given enough training.The were not trained on how to deal with these kind of situations,no leadership training at all,and in general most of these supervisors are not trained for the job as no 1.
Ryanair allows brand new crew with less than 2 hours flying experience to fly together.On numerous occasions a whole crew (cabin crew) can be made up of brand new crew,and the No1 flying as a supervisor, for the first time incharge....
Experience is everything in aviation,and Ryanair do not care.They look at crew as a legal requirement and thats it,they couldnt care less about the passengers safety or the safety of their experienced or inexperienced crew!
In my opinion Ryanair might have some great supervisors.They were not made great by Ryanairs training,but they were naturally gifted. Accidents waiting to happen due to the lack of training of no 1s at Ryanair.Take Easyjet's No 1s training, leadership,crew managment,crisis management are all important to this airline...
