From AME to LAME: give experienced engineers a clear training plan

A qualification and a licence are different outcomes

A Certificate IV recognises trade competence. A Diploma packages higher-level Aeroskills units. A CASA licence carries defined maintenance certification privileges. They connect, but holding one does not automatically deliver the next.

That distinction matters when an employer offers to support an engineer’s development. “Do your Diploma” is incomplete advice unless the selected units, exams and aircraft experience also suit the intended licence category. CASA explains the knowledge and experience requirements for licence issue.

List the Remaining Training and Evidence

1. Choose the work and licence scope

   Start with the aircraft and systems the engineer needs to work on. Select the category, any additional category or the exclusions to be removed.

2. Assess Existing Qualifications and Evidence

   Bring qualifications, statements of attainment, exam results and relevant experience records. We check credit and RPL against the chosen course requirements; years employed alone are not proof of every competency.

3. Train and assess the gaps

   The plan identifies the units and learning still needed. Our trainers support the engineer through the knowledge and practical requirements before the applicable CASA exams.

4. Plan the experience and application

   Identify the required task exposure and usable records early. A completed training course supports the pathway; CASA determines licence issue.

Make the employer’s support practical

Give the engineer time to study, access to suitable work and someone who can help with the evidence process. Agree on progress reviews around completed learning and demonstrated competence, rather than only an exam booking or a distant completion date.

For example, a mechanical AME working on piston aeroplanes may need a different selection of units and aircraft experience from someone moving into turbine aeroplane maintenance. A useful plan explains that difference before tuition and roster commitments are made.

Our RPL and gap training pathway is designed for working engineers. Employers supporting several people can build training into a retention plan with individual outcomes for each person.

For more detail, read how the Diploma relates to a licence.

You do not need to work out every gap yourself

Choose the course for your intended outcome and apply. Upload your records during onboarding so we can assess credit and the remaining training. If you are unsure which category or scope fits, send us the aircraft you work on and what you want to do next.

Written by the Sigma Aerospace College training team. AMROBA is cited as an industry source; these are Sigma’s explanations and services, not an AMROBA endorsement.