The Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) recently hosted more than 150 aviation maintenance educators, vendors, and employers at its annual conference in Atlanta on April 9-12, 2016. Flying into the world’s busiest airport made for the perfect setting given the culmination of a very busy year for ATEC.
The purpose of the ATEC annual conference is to provide professional development, networking, and strategizing opportunities for technician educators and industry, and to engage attendees on the big issues. Two themes resounded at this year’s conference: workforce development and FAA rulemaking, namely the Part 147 notice of proposed rulemaking issued in October 2015.
As the lifeblood of our industry, it is important that technician educators are kept up to date on technological advances. The first two days of the ATEC annual conference therefore focused on professional development; invited speakers were experts in accident investigation, unmanned systems program development, avionics and electrical-bases systems, and certifications and solutions for in-flight connectivity.
Attendees were also treated to a tour of the Delta TechOps hangar where they got an up-close look at an airline technician’s day-to-day, and engaged in frank conversation with training and hiring personnel. Year after year ATEC is the recipient of incredible industry support, Delta Air Lines in particular went above and beyond, sponsoring content throughout the program. We are certainly grateful to that organization and its contribution to this year’s event.
Day three of the annual conference focused on more programmatic aspects including an update on council activities, briefings on of FAA and Department of Education policy initiatives, and an overview of programs built to help narrow training gaps and better prepare students for careers in aviation maintenance.
A recurring theme throughout the day was the recent Part 147 notice of proposed rulemaking, the regulation governing aviation maintenance technician schools (AMTS). The new rule will be the biggest regulatory change AMTS have seen in 50 years. An FAA representative was therefore on hand to discuss the next steps in the rulemaking process and what industry might expect during implementation.
The conference concluded with insight from industry employers on efforts to hire and retain a highly skilled workforce. The challenge was clear: there are not enough qualified technicians available to satisfy industry demand. Representatives from Delta Air Lines, Lockheed Martin, and ExpressJet shared hiring plans and company strategies to meet growing demand. Several companies are facing daunting hiring needs; for example, Lockheed Martin is planning for 2,500 new employees over the next two years, and Express Jets mechanic recruits will increase 20 percent this year over last. These numbers illustrate the looming threat of a workforce shortage and encouraged dialogue on what we should all do individually to help create a steady stream of future personnel.
ATEC will do its part by ensuring aviation maintenance education provides the expertise needed to get the new Part 147 right. I am very proud of the work our regulatory team did to develop pragmatic comments to the proposed rule in February, and for efforts made to educate congressional leaders on the issue. To further that mission, this year ATEC will host its first industry-wide fly-in to sound the message: regulatory policy must support, not hinder, the aviation workforce. All are welcome, please consider joining us in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 8, 2016.
ATEC is extremely excited about what lies ahead. The annual conference is but one example of how the council furthers its service to the future aviation technician, and continued safety in flight. We hope you will join us next year, April 1-4, 2017 in Seattle.
