‘Talent Crisis’ Looms for American Aviation, Senate Committee Is Told

American aviation is in good health right now, but it is necessary to take action to prevent a shortage in high-paying jobs in aviation, according witnesses who testified before a U.S. Senate Committee on March 16.

Senator Tammy Duckworth (D.Ill.), a pilot herself, warned of the dangers of not acting.

“Without a properly trained, equipped, and compensated workforce, the safety of the flying public will be put at risk,” She spoke during the hearing at Washington. “And the delays we’ve experienced over the past few years will seem mild by comparison.”

Duckworth suggested that Congress consider devoting $100 million annually to aviation-workforce-development grants, a tenfold increase. Witnesses testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation that such an investment would be worthwhile.

Hearing by the committee “Strengthening the Aviation Workforce” It is part of its efforts to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration’s operations and funding for the next five-years.

It is vital that government, industry and education leaders work together to tackle the problems. “talent crisis” Rebecca Lutte, distinguished Professor at the University of Nebraska’s Aviation Institute, spoke about aviation.

“Aviation must attract and retain the best possible talent from the widest possible pool,” She said that women were historically underrepresented in this field.

Although much has been made of a supposed shortage of pilots in the media, the head of an international pilots’ union insists that there is no such problem. Witnesses testified before the committee that they are more concerned with adding workers to important but less well-known positions, such as those in aircraft mechanics.

Capt. Capt. “The big airlines have far more pilots [now] than they had before the pandemic,” The pilot-training programs for all levels of the aviation industry are complete.

He said that the problem is a backlog in training.

Airlines made cost-cutting decisions during the coronavirus pandemic. They furloughed pilots in order to reduce their workload. “fighting to keep the lights on,” Ambrosi stated.

Retraining all of those pilots–and new pilots–is time-consuming and costly, he said. As airlines catch up, this problem will disappear.

Technical shortage

More concerning is that 134,000 technicians will need to be available by 2040 to support North American commercial flights. “The U.S. is ill-poised to meet that demand,” Sheree Urtash, president of Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology was quoted in written testimony.

Young children “know what a pilot is,” They are not familiar with them. “all the people that make that plane fly,” Utash made the following statements during the hearing.

The National Center for Aviation Training at WSU Tech has worked hard to recruit and train young people, she stated. She said that the program attracts dozens of high school students each year, and that 92 percent of its graduates have gone on to work as aerospace workers in Kansas.

WSU Tech will need funding to expand their program to all Kansas high school students. She said that her school applied for federal grants, but was denied.

Utash claimed that she looked at other applications that had been turned down for funding reasons and found other worthy programs.  Duckworth’s proposal of dramatically increasing grant funding is supported by Utash.

Lutte stated that young people should be exposed to aviation early on.

“There’s something about aviation that hooks you in … from the first time that you look up and see the airplane, and you know that’s your dream.”

We need to make the message clearer “If you have a passion for it, there’s a place for you,” Lutte said.

Impact Is Global

“No other industry connects humanity like aviation; it expands to all corners of the globe and all aspects of our lives,” In written testimony, she stated.

She is especially concerned about the fact that so few women are involved with aviation, which reduces the industry’s talent pool.

“A complex system of barriers impedes the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in aviation,” She said. It includes costs for training, concerns about work-life balance, and claims of bias or harassment at the workplace. According to a 2018 survey, 71% of female aviation employees reported being subjected to sexual harassment at work.

Lutte stated that despite these obstacles, she is optimistic and excited for future improvements.

She has spent 30 years in aviation. “I’ve never seen so much momentum to expand the aviation workforce,” She spoke.