Page 13 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2019 Online Magazine

[ MAINTENANCE REPAIR OVERHAUL ]

Finding a
ers in the MRO industry have adopted a two-pronged approach. In
addition to putting new recruitment programs in place in coopera-
tion with colleges and other educational institutions, they have also
stepped up their digitization efforts, not just to improve capabilities
but also to make the industry a much more attractive place than it
Way Out now is for the younger generation that have grown up with tech-
nology. Meanwhile, in the US, industry players have come together
and urged the Trump administration to make aerospace workforce
development a priority in the 2020 budget.

Looking Inward
Worried by the escalating presence of original equipment manufac-
turers (OEMs) in the aftermarket and eager to have the workforce
MROS ARE TRYING TO FIND A needed to expand and stay afloat in an increasingly crowded
SOLUTION TO THE SHORTAGE OF market, major MRO players such as AAR, Lufthansa Technik and
QUALIFIED AIRCRAFT MECHANICS Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM
E&M) have introduced programmes aimed at ensuring that the AMT
pipeline does not completely dry up. Attempts are also being made
Arun Sivasankaran to make the job attractive for the younger generation and to tweak
the curriculum to meet technological advances in the industry.
Perhaps the most telling indicator of the crip-
pling shortage of aircraft mechanics in the As technological advances change the industry landscape, com-
aviation industry is the fact that no one was sur- panies have started introducing new training methods; traditional
prised when Boeing’s 2018 – 2037 Technician classroom instruction has been augmented by mobile and distance
Outlook forecast the need for a whopping learning solutions while new technologies such as augmented real-
754,000 new aviation maintenance technicians ity have been introduced in training to ensure recruits do not feel
(AMTs) over the next twenty years. For aircraft out of place in a technologically-driven workplace culture.
operators and MRO companies the world over,
it is a reality that they have had to live with for AAR’s Eagle Career Pathway Programme, which was introduced
the last few years. in October 2018 in partnership with various schools in the US, is
intended to nurture young talent and build the next generation of
Even as the industry braces for the worst of the skilled mechanics by providing a systematic path for high school
crisis, an encouraging new trend has emerged. students to become AMTs. As part of its attempts to woo nee talent,
Rather than wait for a miracle or hope that the the company has introduced a Support Technician job category so
crisis blows over, a few of the established play- that students can earn while they learn and gain experience inside

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