I have just returned from a most enjoyable and educational visit to the International Civil Aviation English Association (ICAEA) Conference in Hong Kong.
This was the first time I have attended the ICAEA conference and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet many new faces; a few old faces and to meet in real life some peers with whom I have only spoken to via WhatsApp or email.
The conference was hosted by the English and Communication Department of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Special thanks go to Professor Eric Frignal and his able team of assistants who ensured that the conference ran smoothly and nobody got lost within the campus grounds!
Every day we were invited to a mixture of thought-provoking presentations and workshops from a variety of speakers from around the globe. One message was very clear, pilot/controller communication has undoubtedly improved since the introduction of ICAO ELP requirements. However there is still need for further developments particularly in the area of training and testing of ELP for Engineers and Ground Staff .
One highlight was the announcement from Catalin Popa from ICAO that a new ICAO Document 10197 “Test Design Guidelines- Handbook on the Design of Tests for the ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements” has just been approved and published online. I sincerely hope that in the future this document will help to harmonise ELP tests.
Overall it was a great experience and I hope to attend next years conference in Mexico and meet my new friends again
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