In this week’s AFM Pilot Training Leadership Interview Series we speak with Hannah Davies, Director of Strategy and Growth at Symbiotics – a leading assessment solution provider for the pilot training ecosystem and airlines.

The conversation covers:

• Company Overview: Symbiotics are global leaders with over 30 years’ experience specialising in psychometric assessments for aviation professionals through their ADAPT online platform, delivering over 150,000 tests annually across 80 countries. Their solutions support airlines, training schools, militaries, and other aviation operators worldwide, to support the recruitment, selection and development of aviation professionals aligned with ICAO competencies and regulatory requirements.
• Expansion into Cabin Crew Assessments: Symbiotics recently expanded its expertise to include cabin crew assessments. Developed with industry input and aligned with ICAO competencies and CBTA principles, the new suite evaluates personality, cognitive reasoning, and crew resource management skills. The company also partnered with Sky People Training to add a foundation knowledge test, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation for both new and experienced crew.
• Global Presence and Innovation: Active at key training and aviation events worldwide, Symbiotics values direct engagement with clients to gather feedback and share insights. The company continues to innovate, with the upcoming launch of a mobile-optimised testing interface aimed at enhancing accessibility and user experience during global recruitment campaigns.
• Industry Trends and Challenges: Hannah highlighted that while pilot recruitment has slowed due to supply chain issues, demand is expected to rise again soon. She noted a stronger focus on selecting the right candidates early to reduce training costs and improve success rates. A key challenge remains aligning and analysing large datasets to link psychometric outcomes with training performance under CBTA and EBT frameworks.
• The Future of Pilot Training and Symbiotics’ Role: Looking ahead, Hannah envisions a more data-driven and inclusive pilot training industry, with competency-based and personalised learning paths. She also sees growing use of AI and technology – where proven effective – to enhance training quality and safety. Symbiotics aims to stay at the forefront by combining innovation, data analysis, and close collaboration with clients.

For more information:

• Hannah Davies Linkedin
• Symbiotics Supplier Profile
• Symbiotics Website

You can find all of the AFM.aero Pilot Training Industry Interview Episodes here.

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