ATEC Sets 2021-2022 Advocacy Priorities |
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Despite our inability to bring the community together in person, the council’s advocacy efforts over the last year yielded remarkable results—the crowning achievement coming in the last few days of 2020 with the inclusion of part 147 reform mandates in the Consolidated Appropriations Act.
The new law requires the FAA to replace long-outdated aviation technical program regulations with a community-drafted, performance-based regulation that will provide opportunity for widespread innovations in aviation technical education.
This coming year, the community is setting its sights on initiatives that will ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory framework, take advantage of emerging opportunities, and address additional choke points in the workforce pipeline. In the coming year the council will—
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Insist on FAA adherence to part 147 reform mandates. After decades of waiting on regulators to update the regulation governing aviation technical programs, a congressional mandate will overhaul the long-outdated rule and allow aviation technical programs to better prepare students for the current job market. The council will engage with regulators and congressional leaders to ensure timely and accurate implementation of the interim final regulation by the March 27, 2021 deadline (see related story), support regulators through development of proposed guidance, and educate the community through resources and online events.
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Support swift publication of FAA airman certification standards (ACS). A decade ago, an FAA-industry working group came together to develop a better way to qualify the skill and knowledge needed from the next generation of aviators. The effort was recently brought to an abrupt halt when the agency ceased publishing ACS after reinterpreting its regulatory responsibilities. Since then, the backlog of unpublished ACS grows while industry anxiously awaits revised standards. The council will encourage the new administration to get the initiative back on track so that the training community can implement much needed reforms to support today’s modern aviation system. (See related story.)
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Support a skilled and dynamic aviation workforce through grant program funding. The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the aviation industry—targeted federal support of workforce programs will be a critical piece of its recovery. The council encourages Congress to provide sorely needed resources through the continued funding of the aviation workforce development grant program, and to explore additional opportunities to invest in aviation career pathway development, including expansion of K-12 programs.
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Oppose threats to private, tax paying educational institutions. ATEC opposes legislation that limits proprietary aviation technical schools from serving students and veterans. Bills masked rhetorically as student protection aid often times threaten a vital source of aviation maintenance technical personnel and negatively impact aerospace companies looking to hire FAA-certificated mechanics and other aviation technical personnel.
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Implement initiatives that will expedite service member transition into civil aviation careers. Industry is in need of a clear and efficient process to translate military experience to competencies required for FAA mechanic certification. More can and should be done to ease the burden experienced by veterans with valuable experience but no clear path to civilian certification. The council will work with government officials to identify ways to better serve our service men and women while creating a vital pipeline to meet industry labor demands.
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Expand access to FAA airman testing. Thirty percent of aviation technician school graduates do not take the exam necessary to receive FAA mechanic certification—access to testing examiners was identified as one of the top barriers for students seeking a certificate. The council will continue its call for expansion of the FAA’s Organization Designation Authorization program to include examiner delegations which would allow schools to manage FAA testing delegates and meet student demand.
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Create general aviation curriculum for deployment in high schools. ATEC's sister organization, Choose Aerospace, is in the final stages of selecting partners for its ambitious curriculum development project. The initiative is in support of one of the organization’s key objectives: to expand aviation career and technical training and associated career pathways. The curriculum will be pilot tested this fall, and is expected to be available for wide dissemination in early 2022.
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Professional Development Virtual Seminar Series |
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The council will facilitate four online webinars over two days, March 30-31. Sessions will focus on the new part 147 implementation, online learning, COVID-19 impacts on aviation maintenance programs, and emerging technologies. Member discounts and group rates are available. Register now.
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April 22 Webinar: FAA-Academia Partnerships in UAS |
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Get a briefing on two programs that engage academia in the agency’s efforts to further integrate unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. The webinar is free and open to the public. Register now.
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May 11 Webinar: So You Wanna Start an AMTS? |
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How much will it cost to start a certificate aviation program? What equipment will I need? What funding opportunities are available? What are the regulatory requirements? Get answers to these questions and more from a panel of experts . Use the members-only password for free registration. Register now.
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In Case You Missed It: The New Part 147 |
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The council hosted two live webinars on the new rule, the first giving a section-by-section overview and other addressing member questions. Recordings of both webinars, and other AMTS resources, are available on ATEC's issue page. Read more.
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ATEC Weighs in on Part 147 Congressional Directive |
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In a Feb. 25 letter to FAA officials, ATEC went on record setting forth its interpretation of the recent congressional mandate directing FAA to remove and replace the current part 147 with community-drafted language by March 27 . Read More.
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Council Joins Call for Publication of Delayed ACS |
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On Feb. 23, industry members of the FAA-industry ACS working group sent a letter to the agency urging it to publish the long-awaited standards, which are vital to the framework of the new part 147. Read More.
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Nominate a Student, Educator of the Year |
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Recognizing the student of the year and teacher of year are two of the most important events ATEC does in highlighting the best of the best in each category. Winners will be recognized by our generous sponsors, JSfirm.com and the Northrop Rice Foundation in a virtual awards ceremony this spring. Read More.
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ATEC Journal: A Call for Papers |
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The Journal is currently accepting submissions of scholarly, research, application, or opinion articles. Standing suggestions for topics can be found on the Journal's homepage.
In addition to these, submissions discussing pivots to a virtual classroom, adoption of COVID safety procedures, or implementation of the new part 147 are welcome. Read More.
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Clemson Seeks AMT Student for Survey |
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Clemson University Center for Workforce Development is seeking AMT students who have been in an aviation maintenance program since March 2020 to participate in a study about learning responses during COVID. Results will be presented in a March 31 professional development webinar. Read More.
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FAA Careers Task Force Seeks Student Input |
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Last fall, the FAA officially convened the Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force. Appointees have since been collecting information regarding experiences with youth engagement, career development, workforce needs and industry readiness. Read More.
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JSfirm.com Reports: Hiring has Returned! |
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After the global events of 2020 brought aviation hiring to a screeching halt, JSfirm.com says that activity on their website shows aviation hiring is on the rise once again. Not only has job seeker activity shown a marked increase, but the number of companies advertising their openings on the site is also returning to pre-Covid levels. Read More.
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Aviation Technician Education Council
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