2016 ATEC Conference - On Approach to Atlanta
The aviation maintenance education community is on final approach for ATEC's 2016 Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia where instructors, administrators and industry allies will come together to engage the council's broad professional network and multiply the value of shared knowledge.
Not registered yet? There's still time to hold your place by visiting atec-amt.org/conference.
For those planning to be there - and even for the few still in need of convincing - a quick rundown of this year's agenda:
• Two days of professional development sessions covering accident investigation, unmanned aircraft systems and various training technologies (registrations for just the weekend of professional development are available - grow your teaching skills and be home for class on Monday).
• General session topics on ATEC's support for AMTS, strategies for classroom success, regulatory updates and the politics and policy demands of the technical workforce.
• Panel discussions with representatives from ExpressJet, Delta Air Lines and Lockheed Martin covering employer workforce needs.
• Four days of industry exhibition with booths from 17 different educational and aviation supply organizations.
• Social and networking events including a tour of Delta Air Lines' facility and flight museum, an ice cream social and an evening happy hour.
The conference programming comes at an exciting time for ATEC. After decades of calling for change, the FAA is finally making tangible progress towards updating part 147. When the proposed rule was issued at the end of 2015, the council began an industry-wide effort to advocate for a competency-based rule - one that best serves the needs of institutions and students - and facilitate smoother interaction between the FAA and the A&P schools it regulates.
On regulatory, legislative and communications fronts, the effort to update part 147 is the perfect example of what ATEC can do with the active support of its members, but it's just one example. Even without the great progress made towards modernizing the rule that governs AMTS certificates, this has been quite a year. Come to Atlanta and see how that work will continue.
At the conclusion of the event, ATEC's Board of Directors invites all members to attend its first-quarter meeting. If you don't have to run and catch a flight home, the discussion will provide insight into the council's continuing growth and development.
Of course, great events don't happen without great support. ATEC's leadership would like to thank all of the event sponsors - in addition to the many exhibitors - whose contributions made the 2016 conference possible.
If you can't make it, consider blocking your calendar for next year's event in Seattle (stay tuned to www.atec-amt.org for the official date announcement).
If you will be there, here's to a safe landing in Atlanta - we'll see you on the ground.
