EAA Supports Senate Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development Bill

March 18, 2018 - To address the shortage of workers and skills in the nation’s A&P mechanic workforce, Senators Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) on March 7 proposed the Aviation Maintenance Workforce Development Pilot Program.

EAA supports the bipartisan measure, which would provide $5 million a year from 2019 to 2026 in grants to the industry. Funds would support scholarship programs, student outreach, helping transition veterans to new careers, and strengthening educational programs for aviation technicians, and as well as encouraging other innovative ways to grow the workforce.

Inhofe called aviation an economic multiplier that connects local communities and cities and supports commercial activity and tourism revenue.

“We can’t afford to let these skilled jobs go unfilled,” Inhofe said. “This bill will make it possible to close the skills gap by incentivizing businesses, labor groups, educational institutions, and local governments to develop innovative ways to recruit and educate the next generation of America’s aviation workforce.”