STEM Ed Coalition Supports ATEC Part 147 NPRM Comments

On Feb. 22, the STEM Education Coalition, an alliance of more than 500 business, education and professional organizations, submitted comments to the FAA part 147 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). In its letter, the group expressed its support for a maintenance technician competency-based learning system that allows industry to freely meet already-mandated knowledge, skill and experience standards.
 
The coalition’s comments echoed ATEC’s concerns that the NPRM goes beyond the FAA’s basic mandate to oversee and regulate safety in the aviation industry and that educational oversight is a responsibility best left to other executive branch agencies, stating in part: “Our Coalition supports education policies that are flexible and responsive to the needs of the global economy. As proposed in the NPRM, FAA mandates on teaching times, passing norms, maximum levels of instruction, student/teacher ratios, and static curriculum topics are not hallmarks of a modern, competency-based structure that industry desperately needs. These requirements lead to waste and increased costs for industry and students pursuing a STEM education.”
 
As a member of the coalition’s leadership council, ATEC furthers the group’s mission to educate government about the impact STEM education has on the global economy and to ensure student success in technical fields. Learn more about the coalition’s good work at the April 9-12 annual conference in Atlanta, or at http://www.stemedcoalition.org/.