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FAA workforce grants to train aircraft mechanics not
awarded
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Applicants told to reapply once paperwork aligning with
Trump
administration's DEI stance is issued
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Industry group expects 10% shortfall in certified
mechanics
required to meet U.S. commercial aviation needs
By Allison Lampert
Sept 17 (Reuters) - Plans to combat a U.S. shortage of
aircraft mechanics are in limbo after funds aimed at training a
mostly male workforce are being held up by government efforts to
remove mention of diversity, equity and inclusion from its own
notices of available grants, industry officials told Reuters.
Lawmakers last year pledged tens of millions of dollars to
train workers to repair and build planes to meet surging demand
for maintenance and higher production from jetmakers Boeing ( BA )
and Airbus, but the grants have not been issued,
they said.
Officials from one technical college and an education council
said they were told by the Federal Aviation Administration
earlier this year to reapply for grants once applications are
rewritten to remove any references to DEI, in line with
executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. They said
they have not seen any new notices.
The delay in the FAA Workforce Grant program's funds comes
as industry faces an expected 10% shortfall in certified
mechanics required to meet commercial aviation needs in the
United States this year, according to a report being made public
on Thursday by the Aviation Technician Education Council.
The FAA was not immediately available for comment.
DEI programs attempt to promote opportunities for women,
ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally
underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates have argued that
such initiatives are necessary to address longstanding
inequities and structural racism.
Republican Trump and his allies say DEI unfairly discriminates
against other Americans, including white people and men, and
weakens the importance of merit in job hiring or promotion. His
administration has repeatedly sought to dismantle DEI programs,
with recipients of federal funds asked to ban actions like
training programs and policies aimed at underrepresented
groups.
While some technical programs target female mechanics, women
account for less than 3% of U.S. aircraft maintenance workers,
according to ATEC's pipeline report.
The delays in workforce grant funding were a topic of
discussion at an ATEC gathering in Washington on Wednesday.
Crystal Maguire, executive director of ATEC, which
represents U.S. technical schools and other groups, said her
industry needs the funds to carry out plans to address the
shortage.
"Now those dollars are being held up and we don't know why,"
she said.
Jim Hall, vice president of aviation and workforce
development at WSU Tech technical college in the aerospace hub
of Wichita, Kansas, said the longer the grants are on hold, the
fewer students they can train.
"We are just kind of in limbo wanting to do these programs,"
he said.
The $80 million over four years for maintenance, and a
matching amount for aircraft manufacturing, both approved in the
2024 FAA reauthorization bill, support a sector that is
predominantly male, Maguire said.
Maguire and Hall said some of the funds would give more high
school students access to training that would help them receive
certification to repair planes.
"We educate to build a workforce," Hall said. "There are no
politics involved in this."