of Engineers Regulations 1990 (Revised
2015) [19]". The need to regulate the complete
engineering team, Engineers, Engineering
Technologists (ET) and Engineering Technicians
has also led the BEM to amend the REA to
incorporate two new categories: Engineering
Technologists and Inspector of Works (IOW), also
known as Engineering Technicians.
Profession, Entry-Routes and Professionalisation
Bravenboer and Lester [20] states that professions
can be defined very roughly as occupations that
set their qualifying requirements at the equivalent
of a degree level or above, and are normally
(though not universally) subject to some form of
authoritative membership of an association or
regulatory body. An AML equivalence to a degree
level is listed in the Malaysian Government portal
of Malaysian Public Services Commission [21]. An
AML holder’s competency in aircraft maintenance
engineering is certified by CAAM prior to issuing
the individual with his/her AML and therefore it fits
into the criteria as a profession.
Bravenboer and Lester further elaborated that
the dominant pattern of professional entry during
the latter half of the 20 th century can be described
as a sequential model, where the would-be
practitioner learns first the “science” or disciplinary
knowledge underpinning the profession, followed
by its “applied science” or tools and techniques,
and finally its practice [22][23]. This sequential
model is similar to the model of AML holders’
training and education through compliance to
the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) [24] and CAAM AN 1101 [1].
Not only does it consist of fundamentals of science
in aircraft engineering with their application in the
aircraft maintenance, field practical experience is
also critically assessed.
McDavid & Huse [25] outlined key mechanisms
for facilitating professionalisation that are a
possible pathways for the American Evaluation
Association (AEA) to consider. The first procedure
that has been discussed in evaluation since the
1990s, and frequently implemented in higher
education, is accreditation. Usually, accreditation
is a mechanism for assessing university
programmes, led by an external panel that grades
the institution on several specific criteria (e.g.,
faculty, courses, and student competencies). Upon
receiving accreditation, the university programme
is granted a formal document indicating that it is
accredited for a fixed period of time. Even though
the accreditation of AML training programmes
is under the jurisdiction of CAAM Part 147 [26],
there are many similarities with the process of
accreditation. The main difference is that instead
of accreditation being issued for several years
by a professional body or institution of higher
learning (IHL), CAAM approval is usually valid for
12 months only before it is due for a renewal
audit. The constant annual audit is a result of
compliance to the strict guidelines in complying
with ICAO standards.
According to professionalisation studies
conducted by McDavid & Huse, another possible
procedure is certification, which attests to a
person’s skills and competencies in a field,
assessed by a professional society through formal
examination. This echoes with the intention of
this study in mapping an AML holder’s education,
training and practice in the aircraft maintenance
engineering field by BEM in order to provide
professional recognition. This process also
augurs well for CAAM AML holders as BEM is an
independent statutory body that may provide
professional certification.
Established Profession – Professional Code of
Conduct
According to Freeman [27], one of the key
elements in identifying a full blown profession,
recognised widely by both the general public
and professionals, is the existence within that
profession of an effective code of professional
conduct. Though currently AML holders are
considered expert by virtue of the AML that one
holds, the absence of a professional code of
conduct (CoC) and ethics appears to be a reality.
Freeman [27] elaborated that the possession
of a CoC is seen by most professional bodies as
a sine qua none of professional status: Having
a CoC has come to be seen by many as a mark
of professional status. Those who feel that their
type of occupation is undervalued by the public,
have come to see the adoption of a CoC as one
means by which to raise the public image of their
profession. Though it may not be primarily for the
cause of raising public image, LAMEs certified as
professionals who comply with a code of conduct
59