NORFOLK, Va. (March 13, 2023) – Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) is one of eleven schools in receipt of a total of $5 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to help attract and train students for careers as aviation maintenance technicians. These grants will help build back the pipeline of maintenance professionals; approximately 20,000 fewer people are working in the aircraft maintenance sector than before the pandemic.
Aviation Institute of Maintenance’s project will support outreach for careers in the aviation maintenance industry to high school students and communities underrepresented in the industry. AIM will establish dual-enrollment programs in tandem with Norfolk Public Schools, Richmond Public Schools, and additional school systems in the region who seek to offer career and technical pathways in Aviation to their offerings. The project will support the expansion of AIM’s Veterans Resource Center, located at the Norfolk campus, and expand the offering of its Professional Military Certification program on military bases, in order to provide an expeditious civilian certification process for qualified veterans.
In a joint statement about the FAA grant, US Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) stated that “the aviation maintenance industry plays an important role in our national security and the Hampton Roads economy. We’re glad this funding will help address the workforce shortage in the industry and connect students with the training they need to fill these roles.” With a looming shortage of 134,000 aircraft maintenance technicians in North America over the next decade (https://www.boeing.com/commercial/market/pilot-technician-outlook/), AIM believes engaging in youth programming is paramount. Fostering youth interest in the aviation industry and providing training pathways will build the pipeline necessary to fill these workforce gaps, starting locally and spreading nationwide.
AIM has long-standing partnerships with airlines, MROs, and industry organizations, all of which are working together to develop a pipeline of tomorrow’s trained technicians. “The FAA’s generosity will allow AIM will be able to expand youth and veteran programming in a meaningful ways,” said Dr. Joel English, Executive Vice President of AIM. “We will be able to teach high school students from disadvantaged areas in Virginia and beyond, helping them begin their careers in Aviation Maintenance starting in 10th or 11th grade, at no cost to students, local school systems, or their communities. And the grant will also help us provide an expeditious pathway to FAA certification for our veterans.”
