Page 29 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017 Online Magazine

FEATURE WORK FORCE

The demand (for qualified technicians) is
only going to go up.” Local partnerships
are imperative to attract new talent to the
industry, believes Slate. “We are very focused
on Washington State for Boeing because
we recognize how much resources we need
to support our business,” he says. “We have
been doing a lot of partnering with high
schools and skill centers within Washington
State and we have been doing similar work
in South Carolina. That is a key part of the
strategy; building up the resource pool.”
MRO companies have also started
to take the initiative to find a solution to
the issue. Avocet Aviation Services, the
full-service Central Florida-based aircraft
maintenance services provider, recently
announced “Stand Up for STEM” platform
initiative, which will consist of the creation
of a new curriculum for mechanics; an
apprenticeship program through the State
of Florida; and a co-op/internship initiative
profession is the backbone of the industry,” Advanced degrees are rare; most of the with a leading university. The company also
says Mike Arata, MD Project Engineering, educators have associate degrees while has plans to expand its facilities next year to
United Airlines. “Where there are engineers some have certification only. include a dedicated, on-site STEM-focused
or anybody else, this industry cannot “Back in the Seventies, people were in school, workshop and training area.
function without the very large population aviation for different reasons,” says Mark “The labor gap in the MRO industry is a
of talented technicians.” The industry needs Thom, Associate Professor, Aeronautical reality that we all face,” says Patrick Arellano
AMTs with enhanced skill sets, says Arata. Engineering Technology, Purdue University. Sr., Chief Executive Officer, Avocet Aviation.
“Carriers and 145 repair stations will give “It was still glamorous, romantic. Things were “Therefore, we all share in the responsibility
specialized training to AMTs, but it is a different.” The industry is also increasingly to grow the number of qualified, highly-
foregone conclusion that there is a different facing competition from other sectors. One skilled workers in the field by elevating the
level of expectation now when it comes to out of four graduates from AMT schools in role of mechanics and technicians within
the quality of the technicians coming out of 2015 chose not to pursue a career in aviation our industry, while promoting STEM careers
school,” he says. “The quality needs to grow.” It and opt for a job elsewhere. Some joined the and the opportunities that exist for growth
will need a concerted effort by many partners military while many joined the automotive and advancement. We are proud of this
to ensure that the pipeline does not dry up, industry. Oil and gas as well as alternative new initiative and look forward to making a
believes Arata. “This not an airline problem energy fields also succeeded in luring away solid impact in the industry.” Some industry
only. This is not something for the airlines to some of the graduates. “We have a real experts complain that the quality of new
solve at the expense of the repair stations.” issue here,” says Larry Slate, Regional Vice AMT technicians is not what it used to be a
The demand for AMTs in the country is President, Americas, Boeing Commercial few decades ago. Ed Walton, UPS director of
such that 76 percent of all graduates from Aviation Services. “Our workforce is ageing. A engineering at UPS Airlines, however, has a
AMT schools have a job upon graduation. lot of the new airplanes are going to be more lot of confidence in young talent. “Although
“That gives you an idea about what the efficient, but there is still a huge amount of we hear a lot about the different traits of
demand is out there, says Crystal Maguire, work out there that needs to be done.” millennials, Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers, I have
Executive Director, Aviation Technician been very impressed by the energy and
Education Council. “Seventy percent of the Leading by Example enthusiasm of the young people we hire,”
schools expect their enrolment to increase.” Increasing the workforce pool is not the only he says. “The digital skills that they bring
One of the major hurdles in attracting new way to solve the problem, says Slate. “It is to us and their desires to learn makes me
talent is that the new generation does not more than a capacity issue. There are a lot feel assured that our industry will be even
consider the profession attractive enough. of industries that are looking for similar kind better as we see the next generation of
There is also the problem of colleges of skills. We need to motivate graduates to employees take on more responsibilities in
finding it hard to fill faculty positions in join the industry. We have to get to students, our organizations.”
Aircraft Maintenance Technology Programs. not just in high school but at the K- 8 level.
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