In a letter to leaders of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, 29 organizations urged that legislation to create a new aviation maintenance workforce development program be included the Senate’s FAA reauthorization package.

The workforce bill, S. 2506, was introduced in March by a bipartisan group of senators led by Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.). It would create a new grant program administered by the FAA to attract and train the next generation of aviation technical workers. Twenty-one senators have cosponsored S. 2506. A parallel House bill (H.R. 5701) introduced by Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), has 16 cosponsors.

The July 20 letter was coordinated by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association and signed by 28 allied organizations representing maintainers, airlines, manufacturers, business and general aviation, schools, labor and communities with significant aviation sectors.

FAA legislation is expected on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Over $21,000 has been added to the coffers of the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association Scholarship Program so far this year to aid prospective pilots and aviation maintenance technicians to pursue what has become an costly career objective.
                              
During the association’s annual spring meeting in April, the golf tournament, silent auction and personal donations set a record in raising more than $8,190 which will be awarded to three deserving students at $2,000 each at the association’s board meeting in November. In addition, two additional scholarships, for $2500 each, will be awarded to UPS interns.

The scholarships, including the association’s newest – the Richard Mills Memorial Scholarship –will go to college students currently enrolled in an aviation program who is a resident of the US. Eligibility includes a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants for the UPS Intern Scholarship must meet the same requirements but must also be a UPS intern.
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The RACCA Aviation Scholarship is designed to promote and assist in making aviation a career choice and to make students aware of the opportunities in the air cargo industry. Scholarship funds may be used for tuition, flight training, or to obtain new or additional licenses.

Applications can now be submitted online where scholarship requirements can be found, including a 200- to 400-word essay and letters of recommendation.

A new feature on the RACCA scholarship website includes the ability to donate to the scholarship fund online.

BOEING: As new generation airplanes become more prominent in the global fleet, advances in airplane technology will drive an increased need for technicians skilled in avionics, composites, and digital troubleshooting.

Mobile and distance learning solutions are becoming increasingly popular as a flexible alternative to traditional classroom instruction, and new technologies such as augmented reality are being tested as a way to improve engagement and knowledge retention. As airlines continually invest to improve the quality and efficiency of their operations, new training curriculums and methodologies will need to be adopted to keep pace with innovation.
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The need for maintenance personnel is largest in the Asia Pacific region, which will require 257,000 new technicians. Airlines in North America will require 189,000, Europe 132,000, the Middle East 66,000, Latin America 55,000, Africa 28,000, and Russia / Central Asia 27,000.