Accelerated Learning Day
Monday, 10th November 2025,
Delta Hotel, Montreal
New for 2025, we are proud to introduce the IPAAC Accelerated Learning Day. The philosophy behind this springs from the successful workshops we have been running for the past two years at IPAAC conferences, and it is clear that the demand is there for specialised day-long workshops in key areas concerning peer support.
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So registration for the day allows you to choose between any of the three workshops and the UND Mental Health Symposium, or all four if you are feeling energetic! Details of the sessions are below. Tickets can either be purchased for this day alone or bundled as part of a discounted package.
UND Aviation Mental Health Symposium
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We are delighted to welcome the annual Mental Health Symposium hosted by the University of North Dakota to IPAAC’s Accelerated Learning Day. This year’s Symposium will continue to foster collaboration among collegiate aviation programs, mental health professionals, industry leaders, and the FAA in reducing the stigma surrounding help-seeking in aviation. The symposium will feature a range of panels, including those focused on peer support programs, mental health professionals working in aviation training organizations, research roundtables, and strategies for mental health promotion during the early stages of flight training. These sessions aim to bridge the gap in understanding and enhance support systems across the aviation community.
Drugs and Alcohol Support Workshop Conference
There is now a proliferation of different types of drugs & alcohol support programmes available for safety-critical workers in aviation. The challenges regarding recertification of the Class 1 medical for pilots are particularly complex and will vary according to the specific requirements of the regulatory authority.
IPAAC has built its success on an open sharing of best practice and knowledge in the peer support world. It makes sense to apply this same formula to the field of drugs and alcohol programmes. This day-long conference will be the first of its kind and is a must for anyone connected with addiction support in aviation. Speakers from programmes across the world will share notes, including world experts from HIMS in the US, Anti-Skid in Germany and the Monitored Return Support Programme (MRSP) in the UK.
Additionally, there will be panels discussing key topics in the field, such as the use of medicinal therapy in addiction support, and the scientific rationale for the length of time a pilot is grounded for whilst recovering. Different countries have different requirements – anywhere between three months and two years – but why and shouldn’t there be a common standard?
Join us for what will be a significant milestone in improving the provision for drugs and alcohol support in global aviation.
Peer Training and Skills
“If your Peers are not high quality, your program will struggle.”
The single most important part of any Peer Support Program are the Peers. They are the interface between the clients and the program, and if they do not deliver high quality service then the reputation of the program with the workforce will be rapidly eroded.
This day-long workshop is dedicated to all things Peer. It will be facilitated by leaders from the ALPA-I Pilot PSP in the US, the largest in the world with over 300 Peers, as well as from the British Airways Speedbird PAN, one of the most innovative PSPs in the world.
The morning session will look at Peer recruitment, initial and recurrent training. Selecting the right Peers initially is crucial. What are the characteristics you are looking for when recruiting? And once selected, what do you train them on initially and what skills do you give them as part of their annual recurrent training? Peers need to have the confidence to take that all-important first call with someone contacting the program and generate the trust required for them to open up about their issues.
The afternoon session will focus on key Peer skills. Topics will include how to deal with the difficult calls, how to take effective notes, how to self-care (a much under-appreciated subject) and the best ways to respect confidentiality.
If you are a Peer leader and looking to expand the skill set of the Peers in your program, then this workshop is an absolute must.
Peer Support 101 and 201
Building on the successful ‘Peer Support from Ground Zero’ at last year’s IPAAC conference in Osaka, this day-long conference workshop is aimed at those organisations who wish to build a Peer Support Program but don’t know where to start, and those who are encountering barriers developing and growing their existing program.
The morning session will concentrate on the basic requirements for setting up a program: the pitfalls, the areas that are an absolute necessity and those which can be added at a later stage. A PSP that is properly designed from the beginning according to the local culture and customs stands a much better chance of success.
The afternoon session will the look at how a program can develop over the first few years after it has been established. There are usually different phases PSPs go through, and the workshop will identify common obstacles that arise and how to overcome them.
Run by established innovators who are highly experienced in setting up PSPs across the world, this workshop day is a must for those PSP leaders who are new or relatively new to the peer support area and wish to know more from the experts about how to set up and develop their peer support program.
