Initiative Launched to Fix Aircraft Technician Shortage

The initiative was announced following a Feb. 15 industrywide conference on "Bridging the Technician Gap," which drew 80 attendees. The conference was organized by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and cosponsored by Aviation Maintenance magazine.

Conference attendees appointed Michael Sonshine, chief operating officer of STS Holdings, an aviation staffing, compliance, and training company, to direct the initiative. They also retained a public relations firm to develop a marketing campaign, which will begin by raising awareness of the problem and enlisting support for the initiative among companies at upcoming aviation trade shows.

Embry-Riddle organized the conference due to rising concern about a shortage of technicians, which jeopardizes general aviation, business aviation, and the airlines.

"The technical people who work on engines and airframes are the ones who keep these planes in the air," said Fred Mirgle, an Embry-Riddle technology professor who attended the meeting. "The industry is hurting for these people."

There are 137,000 people employed nationwide as aviation technicians. According to trade groups such as the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association and the National Air Transportation Association, the industry requires 10,000 to 12,000 additional technicians every year to replace retirees and to fill new positions. Last year, however, only 7,400 new specialists were certified, a 20-percent decrease from 1988.

Several factors have contributed to the problem. With the national economy booming and more people flying, airlines have added flights and jets. During the past decade, the air transport industry has grown 6.4 percent, and is expected to continue to expand. A record number of small planes are also being purchased, and corporate fleets continue to grow.

That adds up to a need for more technicians. To keep their jets flying, the airlines need roughly two aviation technicians for every pilot. Smaller planes must be maintained, too.

However, with a general unemployment rate of 4 percent, skilled trades averaging a 2-percent jobless rate, and a smaller pool of 20-24-year-olds, fewer candidates are available for technician openings.

Many conference attendees also felt that an outdated image of technicians as low-paid mechanics is deterring new people from entering the profession.

"Thirty-seven percent of technicians earn $20,800 to $32,760 annually, and 55 percent take home more than $32,760," Sonshine said. "That's a higher rate than auto mechanics."

Sonshine added that as aircraft technology becomes increasingly complex, the training and expertise of technicians, particularly in computers and electronics, has also become more advanced.

Working groups at the conference recommended that aviation companies, educators, and government join in an effort involving education, training, and public relations to attract more people to careers in aviation maintenance technology.

The key recommendations:

• Improve communications among industry, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges about aviation careers and career fairs. Industry should give schools more help, particularly student scholarships and internships, partnerships with educators, equipment and parts, tours, and resources for guidance counselors. "It's imperative that aviation companies become true partners with schools," said Eileen Taylor, principal of Aviation High School in New York City and a member of the education working group. "We need two-way communication so we can better prepare our young people for careers in aviation."

• The airlines should encourage the best and brightest students to embark on careers as aviation technicians. "We need to talk about the skills that are needed, foster mentoring relationships with interested students, and get the word out that there will always be a good future and solid jobs in this field," said David Shotsberger, the chair of the professional working group and Continental Airlines' senior director of technical operations for the southeast United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.

• Make it easier for military aircraft technicians to transfer their training and experience to the civilian marketplace. Develop training programs that bridge the gap between military training and that which the Federal Aviation Administration requires for the airframe and powerplant certificate.

• Launch a national communications campaign to publicize career opportunities in aviation maintenance and to attract more young people to the field.

At the conference, Embry-Riddle promised to lead an effort to identify the specific skills and types of training that technicians will need in the next century. The university also agreed to help the industry identify new sources of qualified technicians.

The next meeting of the industry group will be held June 8 at Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach. Details of the initiative will be announced at that time. Information is also available at www.aircraftcareers.com.

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Degree programs through the master's level are offered in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 100 teaching sites in the U.S. and Europe, and through distance learning technology.