If you just focus on the numbers, the aviation industry has much to celebrate. The International Air Transportation Association (IATA) expects 7.8 billion passengers to travel in 2036, nearly double the number of passengers expected to fly in 2019.
When IATA released these numbers in late 2017, IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac cited a growing demand for global activity as the main reason for growth. He also warned that, “the world needs to prepare for a doubling of passengers in the next 20 years. [While], it’s fantastic news for innovation and prosperity, which is driven by air links, it is also a huge challenge for governments and industry to ensure we can successfully meet this essential demand.”
As de Juniac cautions, there is another side to this numbers game. It is one Boeing cast into the limelight in the Pilot & Technician Outlook 2019-2038. Boeing’s report exposes a need for 193,000 aircraft maintenance technicians by 2038 in the U.S. alone. The report predicts a greater need in the Asia Pacific region, which will require 266,000 new technicians. Other countries will face similar constraints: Europe will need 137,000 technicians, the Middle East 69,000, Latin America 52,000, Africa 27,000, and Russia/Central Asia 25,000. The report further warns the shortage may limit aviation’s growth as maintenance companies pass on facility expansions and turn down work. “Every associated technical skill … mechanic, sheet/metal structures technician, welders, machinists, painters, composite technicians, fuel cell technicians, avionic specialist electricians, non-destructive testing, and inspectors are sought across the industry,” reports Brady Templeton, president, Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services. “As with any business, any situation involving unavailability of trained workers prevents a business from growing, expanding, and seeking new customers. In any industry, a shortage of qualified and skilled workers has an impact. Such conditions are even greater in aviation, where safety is paramount.” Chuck Horning, who holds an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic (A&P) license and a General Radio Operator License, has seen aviation ebb and flow since he began his career with Delta Air Lines in 1987. His current position as an associate professor of Aviation Maintenance Science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his past career highlights afford him both an academic perspective and on-the-job insight into the tech shortage. This knowledge in hand, he warns, “The situation is going to get worse before it gets better. Everyone is predicting the actual shortage will hit around 2022. That is when we’re going to have more people leaving than coming in.”
The Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) Pipeline Report echoes Horning’s sentiments. This document finds that the aviation maintenance industry continues to face both internal and external pressures to generate enough technicians. The report warns of unfilled seats at technical schools and other industries luring qualified graduates from aviation. But ATEC executive director Crystal Maguire reports the study also highlights that efforts to reverse these trends are gaining traction.
“Employers are more engaged and looking to set up pipeline programs and tuition reimbursement programs. They are getting really creative to build the pipeline,” she says. “According to a recent ATEC survey, starting wages for technicians right out of school are going up, too. In fact, they went up 40 cents an hour in the last year. That’s a good indictor as well.”
Changes made in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Bill also highlight signs of hope. The bill allocates $5 million for FAA education and training grants through 2023. The grants aim to encourage government, industry, and academia partnerships to solve the shortage. The move has widespread support across the industry, as companies walk in lockstep with the government and educational institutions.
“These measures will help begin training the additional employees we need and can put to work immediately in our repair facilities,” reported AAR president and CEO John Holmes in an AAR whitepaper on the shortage. “Ultimately, the goal is to increase opportunities across the entire industry, not just for AAR. Supporting the growth of an aviation maintenance pipeline benefits us all.”
Build Awareness
“The No. 1 issue that schools, employers, and workforce development experts are talking about is awareness,” says Maguire. “Young people are not always aware of aviation maintenance careers.”
Many people are unfamiliar with the career options aviation presents, especially in aircraft maintenance. “Unless a family has someone in aviation, they don’t know a lot about aircraft maintenance, how to become an aircraft maintenance technician, or what opportunities exist,” Horning stresses.
For this reason, awareness building must start early. Templeton recommends a nationwide, formal program for elementary/middle school students. “[This opportunity] should be in strong aviation/aerospace markets, as well as in areas that do not see aviation-related jobs every day. Such opportunities can create life-long work and well-paying careers,” he says. “We must work with our federal, state, and community leaders, school districts, superintendents, guidance counselors, teachers, students, and parents. And, we need to demonstrate the degree of job satisfaction one can obtain in this industry and the ability to take these skills globally.”
AAR’s EAGLE (ethics, airworthiness, greatness, leadership, engagement) Career Pathway program is an example of a company-wide effort to boost awareness. “There are jobs people don’t even realize exist,” explains Ryan Goertzen, vice president workforce development for AAR. “Becoming a technician can lead to jobs like supervisor, project manager, vice president of maintenance, planning director, quality control specialist, safety lead and more. These are career paths that can lead to six-figure salaries and life-long careers.”
The EAGLE Pathway program brings on apprentices then shows them how they can achieve various career pathways as they move from apprentice technician, to Level III, Level II, Level I, and then supervisor. The company also provides materials highlighting this pathway to schools. “Our Pathway school partners take it and go to high schools, parents and so on, and talk about the maintenance career path available at the largest MRO in the Americas,” Goertzen says.
Embry Riddle is reaching out to local high schools as well. Students at 140 schools in Florida get a head start on college by taking courses at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Gaetz Aerospace Institute, an aviation-related dual enrollment program. “This program allows students to get a head start on their A&P, then transfer to Embry Riddle upon graduation to continue their education,” Horning says.
The university also participates annually in a robo-craft competition, where it has a booth and hosts events geared around aircraft maintenance. And, it puts on summer camps to highlight aircraft maintenance careers. “These activities give students an idea of what the industry is about, how they can get certified as a mechanic, and what their career path might look like,” Horning says.
Maguire reports many schools and companies are engaged in similar outreach. For instance, the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) and the City of Norfolk, Va., offer a robust STEM education program throughout the city’s nine-week Parks and Recreation summer camp. The program’s mission is to provide the 1,400 students participating in summer youth programs with age-appropriate education and career exploration in aerospace.
“The question for ATEC has been how can we support these outreach programs?” she adds.
ATEC decided the best way was to gather stakeholders across aviation to participate in its Choose Aerospace (chooseaerospace.org) campaign. The mission of Choose Aerospace is to unite companies, associations, labor unions, and educational institutions in efforts designed to spur interest in aerospace careers and generate a diverse, qualified technical workforce.
Choose Aerospace began with research campaign that considers three things:
- What is the target demographic that should receive the message?
- What is the message that needs to be delivered?
- How can we best deliver that message?
ATEC will use the research to create a national awareness campaign for companies. “We want everyone speaking the same message,” she says.
Public-private partnerships will move the needle forward, adds Brian Sartain, senior vice president, repair and engineering services for AAR. “The value of having everybody in a consortium working together is getting the word out to high school students that there is high-value career in aircraft maintenance. Aviation has not done as good a job as the automotive industry in recruiting students right out of high school, and that’s where public-private partnerships will make a huge difference,” he says.
Recruit New Demographics
Recruitment is a key partnership focus. Companies and their educational partners seek ways to draw underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and women to the field. AAR, for instance, is stepping up efforts to recruit veterans transitioning out of the military, as well as with individuals possessing parallel skillsets, such as automotive and boat mechanics. It works with the International Aviation Women’s Association to draw women to the field. And it partners with the Aerostars Avion Institute, a public school primarily serving African American and Latino students focused on aviation careers.
AAR’s sheet metal course at Olive-Harvey College also presents opportunities to students in underserved communities on the Chicago South Side, reports Sartain. The program is part of the company’s proactive efforts to build a pipeline of technical talent by working with colleges near its five bases in the U.S. After students complete the 300-hour sheet metal course, which includes hands-on training with sheet metal from aircraft, they are qualified for entry-level jobs in aviation or manufacturing. They can also continue their education at Olive-Harvey and earn stackable, portable skills in avionics and aviation electronics that are part of AAR’s EAGLE Career Pathway program.
“Eleven students graduated from this program with more than 75 percent of them from under-represented demographics in aviation,” reports Goertzen. “These students are all in the hiring process to fill positions within five of our U.S. MRO. The next class starts in August and we hope to roll through about 80 students a year.”
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services attracts military veterans with its Working Hero Program, which gives these individuals an opportunity to use skills gained in the military. The program offers veterans, at no charge to them, a rollaway toolbox containing basic structures, mechanics, and avionics tools, as well as on-the-job training. “Leadership, teamwork, and perseverance are among the skills every soldier, marine, airman, sailor, and guardsman has had to demonstrate in the past,” Templeton says. “These skills are priceless in any organization.”
Create a Workforce Pipeline
As the shortage of skilled workers grows, aviation companies are getting creative in their efforts grow a workforce pipeline.
Three years ago, Airborne launched its Structures Apprentice Program. This program offers mechanical aptitude tests for candidates, who consider joining the structures program. Once selected and accepted, the individuals become Airborne employees, but begin work as a student. The company pays them an hourly wage, provides paid time off (PTO), medical benefits, and eligibility for the company-sponsored 401(k) program. The training program covers critical areas such as safety training, tool maintenance and control, material identification, drawing interpretation, precision measuring, fastener identification, up to and including metal forming and preservation. Each student receives, at no charge, a roll-away toolbox, filled with basic structures tools. These tools are theirs to use if they are an Airborne employee.
Once students complete the three-month classroom portion of the program, the company assigns them a mentor and they continue to develop their skills while working side-by-side with this experienced FAA-licensed co-worker. After students fulfill specific and documented on-the-job training (OJT) requirements, they can apply to the FAA for their Repairman's Certificate. After a minimum period of 18 months of OJT experience, students can apply to the FAA for the Airframe Exam. Airborne also offers a pay progression plan that allows employees with satisfactory performance, measured by their supervisor against various indices, to advance through the pay scale at an accelerated rate, much quicker than the standard annual merit evaluations. Employees in this program receive a quarterly evaluation that identifies opportunities to advance their skills. FAA-licensed technicians in this program can progress to the highest pay categories in less than five years.
Airborne also offers an A&P test preparation course, provided in partnership with Ohio Means Jobs, which assists tenured employees in earning their A&P licenses.
“These programs, added to our Accelerated Advancement and Working Hero Program, consistently add skilled individuals to our workforce. We consider it our responsibility to maintain a highly trained workforce that can deliver consistent results for our customers,” Templeton says.
Meanwhile, AAR is making huge strides with its EAGLE Pathway program. The curriculum enhances instruction and job experience for students, and includes mentoring, job shadowing, and academic support. EAGLE Pathway students are guaranteed an interview with AAR. In addition, participating students can receive up to $15,000 in tuition reimbursements from the company.
“We partnered strategically with schools geographically centered near our facilities,” Goertzen says. The program is currently offered at Western Michigan University, the City Colleges of Chicago, Rock Valley College, Lake Superior College, the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, and Wichita State University Tech.
College students must apply online. If AAR accepts their application, students enter a mentorship program and visit the local AAR facility once a month as they complete their education. The program takes them through a 13-step checklist and covers everything from HR to safety and quality and operations.
“We do this while they are in school because we want them to go back to their peers and talk to them about their experiences,” Goertzen says. “Other students may become interested in EAGLE because of these conversations.”
If AAR hires them after graduation, they start as an apprentice, then move up from Level III, to Level II, to Level I and then specialize in various departmental areas. The company evaluates apprentices on their ability to complete technical skills and on soft skills such as: How do they work with a team? Do they show up on time? How do they respond to supervision?
“When they have mastered the technical and soft skills, they can move up from apprentice all the way to Level I technician,” he says.
Programs like AAR’s are helping push more certified A&Ps into the field. Something that historically has been difficult. Maguire explains the biggest barrier to certification after graduation is cost. This is being tackled in two ways. One, schools are trying to build testing into their curriculum. This makes it easy for students because the cost is included in their tuition. Then employers, like AAR, are hiring students as apprentices and covering the cost of their certification. The FAA has said it will expand its Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) program so that companies and schools can oversee A&P testing, much like individual designees do today.
“This will expand the availability of testing,” she says. “And, that’s something an employer could really take advantage of if they wanted to create a testing program and test students.”
Partnerships that build awareness, entice new demographics, and create a workforce pipeline for aviation maintenance careers will fill the pipeline. Though these things take time to reach full momentum, the industry is already well on its way to making a difference.
Ronnie Wendt is a freelance writer based in Waukesha, Wis. She specializes in aviation and writes regularly for several aviation publications.
