ATEC Joins the STEM Coalition; Meets with Federal Leaders on Aviation Workforce Issues
On June 13, representatives from ATEC and the STEM Education Coalition met with policy staff from the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
ATEC is a longstanding member of the Coalition’s leadership council and represents aviation employers, vendors, and educational institutions with maintenance technician programs.
Crystal Maguire, Executive Director of ATEC and Ryan Goertzen, Past ATEC President and Chief Aviation and Academic Officer at Spartan College, discussed the shortage of aviation technicians and pilots in the U.S. workforce. The group specifically voiced concerns with Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 147, which governs aviation maintenance technician schools that hold a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificate. The prescriptive regulation governs the curriculum for these schools and hasn’t been significantly updated since 1962.
The council has been actively working to update the regulation for years. It highlighted the long-standing issue as one that exacerbates ever-growing workforce shortage concerns.
