On Aug. 19, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) delivered a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives urging strong support and swift approval of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize, reform and improve the Carl D. Perkins Act, the primary dedicated federal funding source for career and technical education (CTE) programs.
The association’s membership consistently cites the skilled technical worker shortage as a top policy concern. In 2014, ARSA and the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) commissioned a report by researchers at the College of William & Mary examining the aviation industry’s workforce issues. The study, Policy Solutions for a Stronger Technical Workforce, found that with expanding global markets and increased demand for a highly skilled, government-certificated labor force, aviation businesses must overcome looming retirements of more experienced employees, skill gaps and regulatory restrictions on training programs to support current customers and grow to meet new demand.
“Finding the right people with the right skills is difficult, keeping them is even harder,” said Brett Levanto, ARSA’s vice president of communications, nothing three quarters of respondents to the association’s most-recent member survey reported difficulty finding qualified candidates. “Almost universally, our members are optimistic about their business futures. Aviation markets are growing and international partners are coming together, but repair stations can’t be sure they’ll have the technicians they need to take advantage.”
The bipartisan Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 5587) is a significant step to addressing the skills crisis that plagues just about every U.S. economic sector, from aviation to manufacturing to construction. Specifically, the legislation includes much needed reforms to the Carl D. Perkins Act, which Congress hasn’t reauthorized since 2006, including:
- Aligning CTE programs to the needs of the regional, state and local labor markets.
- Supporting effective and meaningful collaboration between secondary and postsecondary institutions and employers.
- Increasing student participation in work-based learning opportunities.
- Promoting the use of industry recognized credentials and other recognized post-secondary credentials.
In the letter, ARSA’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs Daniel B. Fisher wrote, “Simply put, by making technical education a priority, Congress can help better prepare workers for well-paying careers, ensure that U.S. companies are able to seize new business opportunities and make the United States more competitive in the global economy. Businesses, schools and government officials must collectively commit to tackling the technical education crisis at all levels, and you can take a great step towards enabling that commitment by supporting and swiftly passing H.R. 5587.”
The legislation, which was unanimously approved by the House Education and the Workforce Committee in July, could receive consideration on the House floor when Congress returns to Capitol Hill after Labor Day.
The association encourages members of the aviation maintenance community to get active in support of CTE overhaul. To weigh-in with your lawmakers in support of Perkins Act reauthorization visit: http://ofmk.freeenterpriseaction.com/VsvkKKI.
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ARSA is the only association devoted to the unique needs of the global civil aviation maintenance industry. It is dedicated to helping member companies operate more efficiently and effectively, while continuing to ensure the safety of aircraft worldwide. To learn more about the association’s dedicated work on behalf of both industry stakeholders and the flying public, please visit ARSA.org.
