Report on supervision of the School of Aviation by the Danish Ministry of Education

08-10-2003

Report no. 1/2003

The School of Aviation (Luftfartsskolen), which was an independent vocational school until 2001, was merged with three other vocational schools as of 1 January 2001 to form a new vocational school, Technical Education Copenhagen (Teknisk Erhvervsskole Center – TEC). The report deals with the operations and finances of the aviation school, as well as the supervision of the school conducted by the Ministry of Education since 1997. The report includes description of developments in the school’s most significant activities, aviation mechanic training and flight training. The school finances are described on the basis of an analysis of a number of important financial key figures in order to assess whether, from a general perspective, the school has undergone healthy financial development. Moreover, a number of selected contentious issues are dealt with to form the background for an evaluation of whether the school management and its governing body have generally lived up to their obligations. The National Audit Office of Denmark (NAOD) has thus examined the control of the school’s budget and finances, its salary and employment conditions, significant purchases and leasing agreements, as well as the distribution of expenses between ordinary and commercial operations. In order to cast light on the supervision of the school conducted by the Ministry of Education, the NAOD has examined whether legislation pertaining to vocational training institutions generally makes it possible for the Ministry to react in relation to schools encountering financial problems or in violation of the current regulations. Assessment is then made as to whether the Ministry followed up on past examinations of the school’s salary conditions conducted by the NAOD, and whether the Ministry’s examination of the accounts and other circumstances surrounding the school have been conducted punctually and satisfactorily. Furthermore, the NAOD describes the new supervisory procedures instituted by the Ministry of Education and advances proposals for further improvement of the supervision of vocational training institutions. Finally, the NAOD carries out an overall assessment of whether the supervision of the school conducted by the Ministry of Education has been satisfactory.