CBTA in practice: what really changes in everyday training
With insights from Maja Borrie, Training Design Specialist at Entry Point North
Entry Point North has worked with Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) in initial training for many years, first through the ICAO model and now through continued adaptation to current EU requirements.
On paper, the principles of CBTA are easy to support: clearer expectations, more focused feedback and training decisions based on what each student needs. The challenge begins when those ideas must work in daily training, with fixed schedules, instructor availability, simulator capacity and students progressing at different speeds.
That is where CBTA starts to affect how training is planned, how instructors observe performance, how feedback is given and how decisions are made.
In this article, Maja Borrie, Training Design Specialist at Entry Point North, reflects on what CBTA changes in practice and why its real value comes from how it shapes everyday training.
Where CBTA usually starts
CBTA starts by making training expectations clearer. Instead of looking only at whether a task has been completed, it helps instructors describe what good performance looks like, which competencies are being demonstrated and where further development is needed.
This gives training a more useful language. It helps instructors and assessors turn observations into clear feedback, identify gaps earlier and make better decisions about the support a student needs next.
Where the work gets bigger
The bigger shift appears when CBTA starts affecting how training is planned and delivered in everyday work.
Many training environments are built around fixed schedules, fixed phases and a detailed plan for how each student should move through training. CBTA can require more flexibility, as students may need different things at different times.
One student may need more work in one area. Another may be ready to move on sooner. That sounds flexible on paper, but in practice it can quickly become difficult, especially when simulators, instructors and roster space are limited.
This is one of the clearest practical changes. Training still needs careful planning, but some decisions also need to be made during the training, based on what each student needs.
What changes for instructors
CBTA also changes what is expected of instructors.
For instructors who have worked within the same structure for many years, this can still be a significant change. They need to understand the CBTA model, how it applies in their own training environment and what it is meant to improve.
At Entry Point North, this is built into instructor training and refresher training. That support is important because CBTA depends on a shared understanding among instructors. Calibration, practical examples and time to discuss real training situations help instructors apply the approach more consistently.
Building evidence that supports decisions
A demanding part of CBTA is making professional judgement visible and usable. Instructors may see the same performance and reach the same conclusion, but the value of CBTA depends on whether they can explain that conclusion clearly and consistently.
Some areas are easier to evidence than others. Separation, phraseology or procedural accuracy can often be linked to clear observable outcomes. Competencies such as problem-solving and situational awareness are more difficult because they depend on context and interpretation.
This means organisations need more than agreed terms and definitions. They also need shared examples of what good, acceptable and insufficient performance look like in practice. Without that shared understanding, two instructors may mean the same thing but describe it differently, making it harder to compare progress or make fair training decisions.
Clear evidence helps instructors, assessors and course management understand student development in the same way and decide what support is needed next.
Keeping CBTA connected to daily training
One of the clearest messages is that CBTA cannot be treated as something done only for regulatory approval.
Compliance is necessary, but CBTA loses its value if it becomes a set of documents that sit beside the training rather than shaping it. Its purpose is to improve training quality and focus training time where it is needed.
For the student, this can mean training that is less tied to a one-size-fits-all structure and more centred on their development. It also gives instructors and course management a clearer basis for deciding when to give more support, when to move forward and what to focus on next.
That is where CBTA becomes valuable: when it influences daily training decisions and becomes part of how the training actually works.