The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently awarded $5 million to 15 schools through the Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants program to develop a diverse talent pool of aviation maintenance technicians.
Funding can be used to prepare participants to pursue aviation maintenance careers and teach technical skills. This includes conducting outreach about careers in the aviation maintenance industry to primary, secondary, and post-secondary school students, supporting educational opportunities related to aviation maintenance in economically disadvantaged areas, establishing new educational programs, and providing scholarships or apprenticeships for individuals pursuing employment in the aviation maintenance industry.
“A career as an aviation maintenance technician opens a wide world of opportunity,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said. “These grants will allow us to reach and support individuals who may not had the chance to pursue this exciting career before.”
Grants were awarded between $45,500 and $500,000.
Recipients include Southern University at Shreveport in Shreveport, La., $500,000; Pima County Community College District in Tucson, Ariz., $490,000; Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, $475,000; Dutchess Community College in Fairview, N.Y., $450,000;
International Brotherhood of Teamsters in Washington, D.C., $450,000; Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla., $450,000; and Macon County School District in Tuskegee, Ala., $425,000.