Photo courtesy Jet Access/Eagle Creek Aviation AAR Corp., a Twin Commander Aircraft partner, recently released its third Mid Skills Gap report, and the news isn’t good. The lack of qualified technicians in the pipeline has reached critical levels.
Boeing has estimated the industry will need nearly 700,000 technicians worldwide to meet demand over the next 20 years, and in the United States, the trend is going in the wrong direction. According to the AAR report, the industry experienced a net decline of 5,000 technicians during the pandemic due to early retirements and other factors.
Repair stations have always had to compete with airlines for the best technicians, which can be difficult when they are able to offer full benefits, a reliable work schedule, and good pay. It’s gotten even worse during the recent airline expansion. According to AAR, the airlines have been hiring even more entry level AMTs as the pipeline of experienced techs dwindles. Now they are hiring around a quarter of all new graduates from A&P schools.
The immediate future doesn’t have many promising signs. When AAR wrote its first Mid Skills Gap report in 2011, the average AMT workforce was 47 years old. Today it’s 53, showing that the problem has only gotten worse. And 40 percent of all technicians will reach retirement age by 2031.
AAR estimates to meet the demand that A&P schools would need to grow 20 percent annually. The actual growth is 2 percent. Nationwide, schools are only at half capacity, in part because of a lack of qualified instructors. It’s not surprising because one can make more money at the airlines. So how to solve the problem? Together.
“Workforce development is a team effort across industry, education, and government. Given the forecasted demand for aviation maintenance technicians,” said AAR chairman and president, John M. Holmes. The report details eight steps its authors think can help change the math on the technician shortage, and ensure a strong and stable future workforce. They are:
- Raise awareness of aviation careers and expand high school feeder programs.
- Work with aviation schools to speed up the adoption of the new Part 147 curriculum standards.
- Work with lawmakers and state agencies, nonprofits and educators to launch a national campaign to raise awareness of aviation careers.
- Encourage training programs to teach people with industry experience how to instruct others to build the faculty population.
- Ask lawmakers to pass common sense immigration policies that allow aviation companies to recruit talent from abroad to meet demand and keep airplanes flying safely.
- Make it easier for veterans to quickly transition their skills to appropriate industry jobs.
- Push to eliminate restrictions on AMTs taking the FAA general exam as pilots can do with their written exams. Getting these exams completed early will lead to increased certifications for our industry.
- Increase training capacity by creating programs to make experienced retirees instructors in education programs.
AAR has launched a number of programs to help secure its own future, including public/private partnerships in tech schools, and working with Canadian authorities to hire talent from around the world. Although most companies don’t have the resources to engage in such ambitious programs, the methodology can work. By using apprenticeships and working with local schools and veteran organizations, companies can tap local resources to help attract the next generation of talent.
