Partnering with PKL: Gas Turbine and QEC Familiarization Course

October 25, 2023

For our partners who fly and maintain the T-56 Engine, PKL has developed a comprehensive training course for engine mechanics. The purpose of this contract is twofold:

  • Provide a comprehensive familiarization class (“Fam Class”) on Gas Turbine Engines in general, as well as Quick Engine Change (QEC), in particular;
  • Provide three (3) highly skilled US C-130 T56 Instructors to provide daily, over-the-shoulder/on-the-job (OJT) training to technicians for the period of one month.

The objectives of this Course are to enhance technicians’ capabilities in the following areas:

  • Concepts, theories, operations, best practices, and proven procedures for the T-56 engine;
  • Increase knowledge of and expertise in engine QEC;
  • Increase engine maintenance and repair skill proficiency;
  • Increase trouble shooting expertise (fault isolation, fault detection)
  • Understand how to complete the installation of a QEC kit; and
  • Be capable of preparing an engine for aircraft installation.

PKL’s instructors deliver an initial two-day “Fam Class” and then, after the class has been taught, the they dedicate their time to daily OJT.  The initial “Fam Class” will establish a solid baseline of knowledge and then, during the ensuing month-long OJT, our instructors will be able to observe and document the students’ performance and offer on-the-spot training, mentorship, and guidance. Though the “Fam Class” is designed as an initial scene setter, the class (in whole or in part) can be used any time during the month of OJT, whenever the technician(s) require re-familiarization or additional classroom-based instruction.  The combination of classroom knowledge and OJT will improve the technicians’ skill, performance, and capability.

The course focuses on the following areas:

1. Theory of Operation of Gas Turbine Engines
1.1 Gas Generator Section
1.2 Combustion Section
1.3 Power Turbine Section
1.4 Accessory Drive Components
1.5 Turboprop Theory

2. Engine Preservation Theory
2.1. Prevention of Damage
2.2 Levels of Preservation
2.3 De-preservation

3. Quick Engine Change Install (Lab/Practical Application)
3.1 Engine Logbooks and Serialization
3.2 Engine Hardware and Wiring Harness Installation
3.3 Accessory Component Install

4. Engine Test Cell Run Preparation (Lab/Practical Application)
4.1 Leak Checks and Component Security
4.2 Quality Assurance Inspection

5. Post-Test Cell Review
5.1 Performance Metric Review
5.2 Post Test Cell Run Leak Check and Component Security (Lab)
5.3 Inlet/Exhaust Cowling Installation

To learn how we can work together please visit us at https://omnispectraining.com/ or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Preparing Employees for Success

October 11, 2023

To ensure success of employees on our contracts, PKL is committed to a comprehensive employee training program. Our training program begins on the first day of employment with an in-depth onboarding process. Our program allows new employees to adjust to the cultural and performance aspects of their jobs quickly and learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors to function effectively within the organization.

PKL uses a comprehensive performance review system to determine the employee’s strengths and areas for growth and to identify the individual’s training needs.

Once our employees arrive at the work site, they are scheduled for Orientation to provide the employee important and necessary information to acquaint the employee with their new environment. We have developed this training package over time and it has evolved into an efficient, high-impact event.

We have created a talent pipeline through a targeted recruitment process consisting of building a Talent Management Database of relevant, highly qualified candidates. Our database enables us to meet customer staffing needs within 30 days from vacancy requirement.

This allows us to save significant time and costs associated with time-to-hire which, in turn, provides us with informed hiring decisions. This database provides pre-qualified candidates that can ensure continuity of services during absences due to voluntary or involuntary termination of employment.

PKL encourages a culture of enthusiasm and partnership that enables us to attract and retain highly talented and motivated team members. Our management culture promotes employee initiative and participation.

PKL employees are highly encouraged and expected to identify and generate innovative approaches to accomplish tasks, functions, and requirements within the scope of the PWS/contract.

We create a harmonious work environment by giving our personnel “ownership in the process” where they are encouraged to use their skills in qualitative continuous process improvement events.

To learn how we can work together please visit us at www.pklservices.com or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Full-Spectrum Workforce Training

September 25, 2023

At PKL, we know that Training efficacy will have a significant impact on business performance and returns – which is why we created a modern solution for Workforce Training. We have crafted a “Pathfinder Workshop” Dynamic Simulation Modeling Methodology to explore the contribution of training as a value-driver in the modern workplace.

Proven Results of Our Process

  • McDonnell-Douglas production efficiency
  • EG&G quantum improvement in strategy
  • Boeing winning C-17 high-volume contract
  • Boeing superior logistics for C-17
  • Merck “Best product launch ever”
  • BP Pipeline “Only analysis that got it right”

Our Value Proposition to our customers is this: We can deliver an Analytical Framework helping them implement a “Workforce Training and beyond” approach, anchored on a collaborative de-risking method to deliver improved Performance-to-Cost relationships. Our framework centers around designing, building, and operating next-generation workforce development.

We anchor our partnering around three core elements:

  1. Pathfinder Workshops (Optimizing and de-risking tools, starting with Training)
  2. Defining the customer support ecosystem
  3. Developing customer service alternatives (Base, Intermediate, Advanced training packages)

 

 

We apply ISO design procedures using the following incremental buildout:

  • Step One: Pathfinder Workshop (model training design outcomes)
  • Step Two: Map the Workforce (skill and training requirements baseline)
  • Step Three: Develop Instructional Curriculum (technical procedures)
  • Step Four: Develop Simulation Courseware (CBT, AR, VR, ALDS)
  • Step Five: Implement System (acceptance testing and delivery)

In our training design, we will demonstrate how to use System Dynamics modeling to assess the effects of Workforce Training on production and performance (by moving from inexperienced to experienced labor) and quantify how these variables directly impact cost outcomes.

To learn how we can work together please visit us at https://omnispectraining.com/ or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

PKL is a Top Workplace for Work-Life Balance in 2023

September 21, 2023

We are proud to be recognized, for a second year in a row, as a top company for providing quality work-life balance for our employees. At PKL, we know our greatest asset is our employees and ensuring they have a stable balance between work expectations and personal time is integral to their happiness and all of our success.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to work with a company that offers better work-life balance, you can check out our available job openings here: http://www.pklservices.com/employment/

This award was based solely on the independent and anonymous feedback of many employees throughout PKL. Awarded by Comparably, survey results were compiled on Comparably.com during a 12-month period and compared with hundreds of other companies. The work-life balance award is based on the responses to questions related to satisfaction with work-life balance, average hours worked per day, breaks, and employee sentiments on burn out.

You can view the whole list of Top companies with the best work-life balance here.

Comparably is a leading workplace culture and corporate brand reputation platform with over 15 million anonymous employee ratings on 70,000 companies. With the most comprehensive data on large, medium, and small business organizations in nearly 20 different workplace categories – based on gender, ethnicity, age, experience, industry, location, education – it is one of the most used SaaS platforms for employer branding and a trusted third-party site for workplace culture and compensation.

PKL CEO, Mike Naylor, Recognized as Director of the Year 2023

September 18, 2023

PKL is proud to share that our CEO, Mr. Michael Naylor, was recently recognized by the Corporate Directors Forum as one of the top 6 Directors in San Diego for 2023. This year marks the 26th year of the awards, presented to leaders nominated by their peers for their work to “embody the transformational, forward-thinking leadership required to address the global challenges facing organizations today.”

The Director of the Year Award was established to recognize outstanding board directors who live in the San Diego region or serve San Diego-based organizations. Five awards—in the categories of Corporate Governance, Enhancement of Culture & Inclusion, Companies in Transition, Emerging Board Leader, and Not-for-Profit Board Leader—recognize recent achievements, while the Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a director who has demonstrated superior leadership spanning decades.

Mike is the Chief Executive Officer and Board President and Secretary for PKL and was recognized as such in the category of Emerging Board Leader. He was presented the prestigious award at a formal gala earlier this month, hosted at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla. A number of PKL staff, professional colleagues, and friends of Mike were in attendance for the event to show their support and appreciation for the work he does at PKL and within our community.

Speaking on his award, Mike shared these thoughts: “I feel honored to be selected from an extremely competitive field of great candidates and to stand on the stage with a great cast of awardees that make significant contributions to their organizations and San Diego.”

You can read more about the awards and other honorees here.

Partnering with PKL: Maintenance Training Instructor

September 8, 2023

PKL has extensive experience providing Maintenance Training Instructors (MTI) to our customers, as exemplified in our full-spectrum support contracts supporting the Republic of Singapore Air Force PC V contract and the Royal Saudi Air Force Upgrade Training (UGT) contract.

All PKL instructors are proficient Craftsman-level technicians in their assigned fields and experienced on the supported aircraft and support equipment. The MTI is qualified to meet all PWS requirements and is traditionally assigned to the Maintenance Training Section (MTS), where he/she will coordinate the class-training schedule with the Instructor Element Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC).

Our instructors meet the qualification requirements of the customer, which often are:

  • Minimum of one year of experience on the assigned aircraft/equipment
  • RED-X certified on course objectives requiring production inspections
  • At least a 5-skill level in the specialty field for which he/she is selected to instruct
  • Complete the course qualification process
  • Attend the local Training Detachment (TD) Period of Instruction (POI) course within 6 months of assignment (unless already qualified)

PKL’s overarching goal is to consistently provide the required expertise to train the customer’s personnel on proper maintenance, logistics, and flying operations to support the goals and objectives of the mission, through the provision of qualified personnel, effective supervision, and effective services.

The MTI will be or will become qualified in all required MTS courses for the customer’s students, and will integrate with existing personnel in the MTS to further the entire section’s training mission.

The MTI will provide the following to the customer:

  • Internal critiques for each class taught
  • Class Packages for each class taught
  • Instructor records upon request
  • Personnel Evaluation results from Quality Assurance (QA) every 12 months
  • List of students for each of the Specialty Qualification Training (SQT) courses

The critique and class package will include:

  • Class Roster
  • Name of the Maintenance Instructor
  • Student QA evaluations (if applicable)
  • Course critique/assessment
  • Student and supervisor questionnaires (if applicable)

To learn how we can work together please visit us at www.pklservices.com or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Training Services

August 21, 2023

PKL is an elite provider of Training Services committed to implementing quality standards in dynamic environments. OmniSpec® is PKL’s registered Training System that uses modern training technologies like Learning/Training Management Systems (L/TMS), computer-based training (CBT), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR).

Since inception, PKL has continually proven to be an industry leader in Training Services. We provide custom-built training programs to the military, government agencies, corporations, and academia.

Here is a list of our past and current training clients:

  • University of Pennsylvania

  • Villanova University

  • University of South Carolina

  • University of San Diego

  • San Diego State University

  • California State University San Marcos

  • University of South Florida

  • American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

  • Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)

  • Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA)

  • Loveland (CO) Fire Rescue Authority

  • Naval Supply Systems Command

  • United States Marine Corps

  • United States Air Force

  • United States Navy

  • United States Army (ROTC)

  • Republic of Singapore Air Force

  • Royal Saudi Air Force

  • Royal Thai Air Force

  • Thai Aviation Industries

  • Electric Company of Ghana

Central to our training philosophy is the thoughtful integration of simulation technologies. By leveraging the power of immersive simulations, we offer a training experience replicating real-world scenarios in a safe and controlled environment. Learners can explore, practice, and refine their skills in a virtual space duplicating the challenges they would encounter in their actual work settings.

PKL is committed to Quality Management and adheres to our ISO-certified Quality Management System in all training curricula, courseware, and equipment design.

Our training system is an ideal solution to reach a variety of sectors because it is designed as a remotely accessible, networked, and on-demand learning delivery program. Our customized e-learning content, diverse modalities, and networked access allows learning to be pulled by students, or pushed by instructors, whenever training is needed. And for our international clients, we also offer a credentialed English Language Training (ELT) program to bolster technical language skills.

From healthcare professionals to the military, and myriad other industries, PKL’s training capabilities enhance organizational health, improve employee morale, and promote workforce skill development.

To learn how we can work together please visit us at https://omnispectraining.com/ or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Hiring & Staffing Personnel

August 11, 2023

Our process centers on providing the best-qualified candidates for our customers using the following critical steps:

  • Successfully hire skilled team members with demonstrated customer requirements
  • Provide financial and benefit incentives to attract the best candidates.
  • Maintain continuous communication with our applicant pool by connecting with them through our career social networking sites. This allows us to keep candidates informed about job opportunities as they become available, which keeps them interested, informed, and excited about our staffing opportunities
  • Once the offer is accepted PKL’s Mobilization and HR teams remain in continual contact with the new employee exercising a comprehensive onboarding process to ensure their success.

The below graphic summarizes our Talent Pipeline process that involves recruitment, hiring and maintaining a robust candidate database.

Furthermore, PKL’s pipeline process results in proven talent acquisition. Our process for bringing qualified candidates into the company, and onto each contract, has a demonstrated record of success for over two decades of global support.

As shown in this graphic below, PKL has a systematic, and indeed, strategic, prism, of the entire hiring and staffing cycle, ensuring we execute this vital capability with high rates of consistency and cohesion.

To learn how we can work together please visit us at www.pklservices.com or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Basic Aircraft Maintenance Course

July 27, 2023

PKL offers our aerospace and defense partners with a fully-customized Basic Aircraft Maintenance Course (BAMC). The purpose of the BAMC is to teach the core, entry-level fundamentals and basic concepts related to aircraft maintenance. The BAMC is not aircraft-type specific nor is it detailed technical training; it teaches universal basic principles and foundational theories. The course’s main objective is to orient students to fundamental maintenance information.

The BAMC is designed for technicians who have completed basic military training (boot camp) but have not yet attended their specific aircraft type/system specialty training.  The BAMC is also ideal for technicians who may already be in service in another occupational field but are making a career move into Aviation Maintenance. The course is built on US Military Aviation Standards.

The BAMC is presented through a combination of in-class instruction combined with augmented simulation training [Computer Based Training (CBT), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR)]. The instructor curriculum will employ all aspects of knowledge transfer.

The course length is 8 weeks (4.5 training days per week).  During each week of instruction there will be classroom application, student self-study, and selective labs to reinforce learning. The course is segmented into 8 Stages and 31 Modules. The eight primary BAMC Stages are:

  • Stage 1 – Overview and Background
  • Stage 2 – Aircraft General
  • Stage 3 – Aircraft Systems Overview
  • Stage 4 – Safety Overview
  • Stage 5 – Aircraft Management Overview
  • Stage 6 – Maintenance Materials and Tools Overview
  • Stage 7 – Supply Support and Logistics Overview
  • Stage 8 – Train the Trainer Overview

PKL instructors are US Military veterans or FAA certified mechanics. Instructors will have 10+ years of experience, be Level-5 or Level-7 Qualified.  All instructors will teach using the US Military Aviation Standards.  We provide a training management capability for record-keeping of at least 1000 students, which can be retrieved 24/7.

Through immersive technologies like CBT, AR, and VR, the BAMC enhances the quality and upgrade of training standards of the students to learn and be acquainted with modern technology of aircraft maintenance. This allows the students to apply the knowledge from basic education and practice on the systems, to their maintenance of actual aircraft.

  • Fundamental Training Level – Computer-based Training (CBT) using desktop computers with keyboard-and-mouse interactivity. An e-learning system, this type consists of instructional media to explain basic knowledge, principles, and suggestions for aircraft maintenance systems, with relevant visualizations in 3D. 
  • Augmented Reality Training Level – Training using tablets with Augmented Reality (AR) visualizations as the technology which allows the trainees to observe the aircraft maintenance systems in a virtual 3D format. This allows them to be acquainted with the system and enhance their skill further in order to operate the Virtual Reality Training Level more efficiently.
  • Virtual Reality Training Level – Training using Virtual Reality (VR) equipment with VR environments that simulate aircraft maintenance situations for trainees to practice procedures. They also experience testing situations with emergency procedures as triggered by the instructor, which will allow trainees to gain problem-solving experience at this level. This training can be carried out solely or in a group with real joint trainees or computer-generated joint trainees. 

To learn how we can work together please visit us at https://omnispectraining.com/ or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

Partnering with PKL: Talent Management

July 13, 2023

PKL’s goal is to always meet mission requirements through a highly skilled and qualified workforce. PKL’s Talent Management strategies focus on staffing objectives that achieve continuity of the workforce with innovative high-quality personnel. The result is a methodology minimizing vacancy turnaround time while providing the exact type and quantity of skill sets.

Understanding the client’s mission enables PKL to develop a concise strategic staffing methodology. The methodology provides a staffing solution that will sustain a diverse workload in multiple functional areas at single or multiple operating locations.

While keeping the client’s objectives in clear focus, PKL performs an analysis of performance tasks by matching them to the current work force. All tasks are examined for efficiencies to be attained through movement of personnel, training, multi-tasking, or cross utilization of similar skill sets. Incumbent personnel are positioned where they can be most efficient. Any vacancies identified are prioritized by criticality to determine personnel requirements and to initiate the hiring process.

We base our approach on a solid foundation of knowledge and experience. This methodology has been used with remarkable success on contracts where our management staff coordinated and implemented two successful major work statement revisions. The continuity of our management teams has remained consistent over the past two decades, and more recently over the past six years, as depicted by the high retention rates shown below.

Our partners can be confident in PKL’s multi-phase national recruitment effort to recruit and retain qualified maintenance, operations, program managers, and supply chain/logistics applicants to support the contract. The PKL Human Resources (HR) team has extensive experience recruiting, screening, selecting, hiring, assigning, administering, and retaining qualified personnel who have the skill sets of those required for each contract.

The PKL HR Department has successfully completed dozens of phase-in transitions world-wide with quality, integrity, and affordability, with a few illustrative highlights depicted below.

  • Performed Organizational, Intermediate and limited Depot (O, I & D) Level Maintenance on all USMC UH-1N/Y, AH-1W/Z, CH-46E and CH-53D/E totaling over 500 helicopters in 4 CONUS and 4 international locations (to include Iraq, Afghanistan and Japan)
  • Provided O-Level maintenance on Navy MH-60S Search and Rescue (SAR) Helicopters in Fallon, NV
  • Provided F-15SG maintenance and operations support for training aircrew and up to 200 Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) maintenance personnel
  • Provided F-15S/SA maintenance training for over 750 Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) technicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
  • Provided 118 maintenance personnel in all maintenance disciplines, supporting the maintenance effort for 65 F/A-18A/B/C/D aircraft in support of VMFAT-101, the USMC’s largest Training Squadron
  • 600+ employees providing support to U.S. DOD and FMS clients

PKL’s partners derive significant operational value by working with PKL and our tailored plans to leverage current incumbent employees’ substantial knowledge and experience. With a fully trained and manned program, PKL minimizes risk and increases benefits to our partners through uninterrupted contract startup and smooth continuation of services.

To learn how we can work together please visit us at www.pklservices.com or email us at kimberly.robling@pklservices.com

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