Serco Canada is the unsung hero that helps the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) do its duty. The Canadian arm of the UK’s Serco Group, plc, one of the world’s leading service companies, Serco Canada delivers essential support services to various federal and provincial government departments. (The company also provides similar support to the civilian sector.)

Serco Canada – The SERvice COmpany Helping the CAF Do Its Duty

BY JAMES CARELESS

            “We provide a number of services in different areas ranging from defence and justice to immigration,” said Terry Standing, Serco Canada’s Business Development Director for Defence and Space. “Here in Canada, under our Defence portfolio, we manage CFB 5 Wing Goose Bay, Newfoundand and Labrador, covering everything from air traffic control (ATC) to snow and ice removal on the runways. Serco Canada also provides air traffic control, air information services and ground electronic services to support NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) at 15 Wing Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. All told, we are the only private company to provide military ATC in Canada.”

AN UNLIKELY BEGINNING

Serco began in the UK in 1929, but under a very different name. Back then it was known as ‘Radio Corporation of America Services Limited’, and it served the UK movie theatre business.

Over the years the company diversified into producing military communications and sonar equipment. “Then we won a contract in the 1960s to build the UK’s Ballistic Missile Early Warning System,” Standing told CDR. “We subsequently won contracts to support the then-new European Space Agency, and to maintain the traffic light system in London. We were – and are – able to do a wide variety of jobs.”

            In 1987 the company underwent a management buyout and was renamed ‘Service Company’, or ‘Serco’ for short. In the 1990s, Serco began offering a range of services to clients around the world, such as air traffic control, railway management, and providing technical support to CERN’s particle accelerators in Switzerland. From then on, the company has kept expanding its service offerings and global reach right up to the present day.

Today, Serco is one of the largest non-government providers of ATC services in the world. Beside providing air traffic control for the CAF, Serco does the same for 58 air traffic control towers in the United States. The company also provides critical air navigation services for Dubai International Airport, which serves 70 million passengers annually and more than 125 international airlines. It is one of the busiest airports in the world!

As well, Serco now monitors 500,000 square miles of UK airspace on a 24/7 basis and is one of the largest independent air navigation services providers (ANSP) on the planet. It has also transitioned the UK military’s in-house ATC to contractor operation with very successful results — a fact that made Serco Canada a credible candidate to provide military ATC for the RCAF.

HERE IN CANADA

Serco Canada has been DND’s contractor of choice for performing operations and maintenance services at 5 Wing Goose Bay since 1998. This CAF base began as a staging site for thousands of Canadian and American-built fighters and bombers being flown to Europe during World War II. Afterwards, CFB Goose Bay became a flight training base with a massive 100,000-plus square kilometre training area and also provided support to local NORAD control centers.

            The simplest way to grasp how much Serco Canada does at CFB Goose Bay is this: The RCAF handles everything related to direct military operations. Serco Canada does everything else and is contracted to do so until 2040.

            “We manage over 160 buildings at CFB Goose Bay, including military operational buildings, hangars, barracks, and mess halls,” said Standing. “We staff the Wing Operation Centre that supports Canada’s NORAD mission. We provide 24/7 Control Tower/ATC services and 16/6 IFR terminal services, plus weather briefings. Our people keep the runway open 24/7/365 for military and civilian aircraft, and deliver 24/7 Emergency Services. And yes, we even maintain over 600 beds in military barracks with over 5,500 bookings annually.”

            Serco Canada even cuts the lawns and keeps the HVAC running at CFB Goose Bay. “There’s a lot of steam being used to heat the place,” Standing said. “So, we have a power station engineer on site.”

            As mentioned earlier, Serco Canada also provides ATC services at 15 Wing Moose Jaw. (It has been doing so since 1998.) According to the Canadian government website, 15 Wing is the centre of RCAF aircrew training and is the principal site of the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) and Contracted Flight Training and Support (CFTS) programs. “Of the approximately 130,000 yearly flying hours flown by the RCAF each year, 15 Wing flies approximately 40,000 hours (30% of the total RCAF annual flying hours),” according to Canada.ca. “15 Wing graduates on average 110 qualified pilots per year. All RCAF pilots pass through these programs on their way to earning their wings.”

A WEALTH OF CAPABILITIES

            As impressive as Serco Canada’s aforementioned achievements are, they are only a part of this company’s wealth of capabilities.

            A case in point: Serco Canada is playing a key role in Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) through the company’s marine design services division. This included providing the NSS with design services that go from concept to detailed plans design, including 3D models and manufacturing information for various vessel types.

READ: NSS Update – National Shipbuilding Strategy

Under the NSS, Serco Canada is working with Irving Shipbuilding and Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards to ensure that our nation’s next generation of ships fulfill our defence needs for decades to come. Serco Canada certainly has the know-how to do so. Its marine team has helped develop the Royal Canadian Navy’s Joint Support Ship (JSS), the Halifax Class Patrol Frigates, and the Canadian Coast Guard’s Offshore Fisheries Science Vessels, among others. (The company even helped build Ontario’s first fully electric ‘green’ ferries.)

            Serco Canada is also a member of Team SkyAlyne, the CAE/KF Aerospace consortium that won the contract to manage the RCAF’s Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. The $11.2 billion 25-year contract was awarded to SkyAlyne by the Government of Canada in May 2024.

The FAcT program will see three existing aircrew training operations combined into one under SkyAlyne’s and Canada’s joint management. It is one of the most ambitious public/private partnerships in Canadian history — and proof positive that Serco Canada and its SkyAlyne partners know what they’re doing.

“It is a privilege to be entrusted by Canada to lead the FAcT Program, a role that speaks volumes about our team’s relentless effort and expertise,” said France Hébert, President of SkyAlyne and Vice President of Defense & Security at CAE Canada. “We’re grateful to have the opportunity to deliver top-tier training solutions that align with the dynamic needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. This is a milestone moment for us and all the companies on the SkyAlyne Team, highlighting our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation.”

            In breaking news, Serco announced on May 21, 2025, that it has formed a strategic partnership with Air Traffic Control Future Operators Inc., (ATCFO) to launch an ATC training program. The program’s curriculum will be designed to meet the highest industry standards, incorporating the latest technologies and best practices in ATC. Students will be trained using advanced simulators and real-world training environments, to provide the kind of hands-on experience that is central to success ATC education.

“We are thrilled to partner with ATCFO to offer this cutting-edge ATC training program. This collaboration underscores our commitment to excellence in aviation training and our dedication to preparing the next generation of air traffic controllers,” said Dave Ritchey, Serco’s Aviation Director. “ATCFO is proud to join forces with Serco in this important initiative. Together, we will provide our students with unparalleled training opportunities and help them achieve their career aspirations in the aviation industry,” added Bruce Bivins, ATCFO’s CEO & Founder.

SERCO’S FUTURE GOALS

            The accomplishments listed above signify Serco and Serco Canada’s achievements to date. But the company still has other goals in mind. “Through our Site Services portfolio, Serco Canada has submitted bids to manage CFBs Borden, Cold Lake, and Trenton,” Terry Standing said. “We expect the contracts for CFBs Greenwood and Shearwater to come up for competitive bidding either this year or next, and we intend to pursue them when this happens. After all, the expertise we have built up at CFB Goose Bay over the past 27 years has equipped us to take on this kind of work in ways that are good for CAF, our company, and our staff.”

            Standing is quick to credit Serco Canada’s success to the thousands of dedicated people who keep its operations humming. He also points to the company’s set of four cultural values — Trust, Care, Innovation, and Pride — as key to this success, because Serco Canada is sincerely committed to adhering to them every day of the year.

            “Our four values shape our individual behaviours and hence the way the company behaves,” said Standing. “They help to ensure we are all working from a commonly understood base that can be consistently applied across our organisation, and that we live with them every day on the job, to get us through any challenges we may face, to help us recognise and celebrate our achievements, and most of all, to keep our customers happy with us.”

            With this solid foundation of success and committed employees, Serco Canada is poised to grow into the future. “For our company, it’s all about growth,” Standing told CDR. “Now I know that your magazine is focussed on defence, and as you know now, Serco Canada has a lot of plans to grow in this area. But there’s also a Citizen Services business unit component to Serco Canada that is making a big difference to Canadians. Right now, in Ontario for instance, we run all the DriveTest centres on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation. So when you go to renew your license or to do a drive test to get your license, they’re actual Serco Canada employees you’re dealing with, even though it says DriveTest Centres on their shirts. And we also provide employment services for job seekers, where we work together with companies that are seeking people within the skilled trade. So although Serco Canada is big in defence in this country, we are also helping out in many civilian functions in little-known ways.”

            Whether it is running CFB Gooise Bay, keeping the planes flying safely at CFB Moose Law, or ensuring that only qualified drivers obtain their licenses in Ontario, Serco Canada is making a major contribution to government services in Canada — even if few Canadians know about it. It’s a big, big step from supporting movie theatres in Britain nearly a century ago, but being versatile and adaptable is what Serco and Serco Canada do best.

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief