IATA Brings CBTA and EBT Workshop to EATS 2026

For airlines and training organisations, adopting competency and evidence-based training is only part of the challenge. Turning it into a programme that satisfies the regulator and can demonstrate that it is delivering what it was designed to achieve is another.

That practical challenge will be the focus of an International Air Transport Association (IATA) pre-conference workshop at EATS 2026 in Cascais, Portugal.

Taking place on 3 November, ahead of the main EATS conference, the CBTA & EBT Course Approval Preparation workshop will examine what airlines and Approved Training Organisations (ATOs) need to do to take Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) and Evidence-Based Training (EBT) programmes from design through regulatory approval and into implementation.

Delivered by IATA in partnership with Halldale Group, the workshop will focus on the practicalities of gaining approval: understanding regulatory expectations, preparing documentation, engaging with authorities and demonstrating that a programme has been properly designed and validated.

Among those bringing a regulatory perspective is Paulo Peixoto, IATA Senior Manager CBTA Center of Excellence.

Peixoto joined IATA in 2024 and supports the organisation’s work to promote CBTA across States and the aviation industry. His career has given him experience from both sides of the training approval process.

He began as a navigator in the Portuguese Air Force, primarily flying C-130 aircraft, before moving into civil aviation and training-related management roles, including working as a flight instructor. He later headed the Personnel Licensing and Training Department at the Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority, became a Licensing Standards Inspector working with ATOs at the UK CAA, and subsequently headed the Personnel Licensing Section at the Qatar CAA.

That combination of operational, training and regulatory experience is particularly relevant to a workshop centred on the relationship between training organisations and the authorities approving their programmes.

From framework to approval

The day begins with the regulatory framework surrounding CBTA and EBT, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) framework, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements and guidance, operator and ATO responsibilities, and approval pathways and timelines.

The focus then shifts to building an effective approval package, covering Training Needs Analysis, competency framework development, course design methodology, assessment and grading systems and documentation requirements. Practical examples and case studies will show how those elements come together in an approval submission.

The afternoon moves specifically into EBT programme development and validation. Participants will examine data-driven scenario development, Threat and Error Management integration, competency assessment methodologies and instructor standardisation, as well as how programmes can be validated and their effectiveness monitored.

The final session turns to approval readiness, including preparing for authority reviews, managing approval meetings, responding to findings and corrective actions and maintaining compliance after approval. Lessons from approved CBTA and EBT programmes will feed into an interactive discussion and Q&A.

The aim is for delegates to leave with a clearer understanding not only of what regulators expect, but how to engage with authorities and build a sustainable implementation roadmap.

Bringing regulators and training organisations together

The workshop is aimed at Heads of Training, Flight Operations Training Directors, Training Standards Managers, Chief Flight Instructors, ATO managers and safety and quality managers, alongside representatives from civil aviation authorities.

Bringing those groups together reflects one of the central challenges of CBTA and EBT implementation. Airlines and ATOs may design and deliver the programmes, but regulators need sufficient confidence in the methodology, evidence and governance behind them to grant approval.

The workshop also opens a full pre-conference day at EATS. It will be followed by the EATS Heads of Training Meeting, under the theme “Building Resilient, Scalable and Competency-Driven Training Organisations”, before the EATS Welcome Reception that evening.