FAA Awards $5 Million in Grants to Train the Next Generation of Aviation Maintenance Technicians

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $5 million in grants to develop a diverse talent pool of aviation maintenance technicians. The Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grants were awarded to organizations that will teach technical skills and prepare participants to pursue aviation maintenance careers.

“A career as an aviation maintenance technician opens a wide world of opportunity. These grants will allow us to reach and support individuals who may not had the chance to pursue this exciting career before,” FAA Deputy Administrator A. Bradley Mims said.

Grant recipients include:

  • Macon County School District, Tuskegee, Ala.: $425,000
  • Pima County Community College District, Tucson, Ariz.: $490,000
  • North Orange County Community College District, Anaheim, Calif.: $250,000
  • San Bernardino Community College District, San Bernardino, Calif.: $400,000
  • International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Washington, D.C.: $450,000
  • DLK Aviation Inc., Kennesaw, Ga.: $250,000
  • Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs, Iowa: $475,000
  • Southern University at Shreveport, Shreveport, La.: $500,000
  • Dutchess Community College, Fairview, N.Y.: $450,000
  • Guilford County School System, High Pint, N.C.: $45,500
  • Columbus State Community College, Columbus, Ohio: $250,000
  • Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla.: $450,000
  • Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Penn.: $214,500
  • South Carolina Department of Education, Charleston, S.C.: $250,000
  • Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Madison, Wis.: $100,000

Grantees can use the funds to establish new educational programs; provide scholarships or apprenticeships for individuals pursuing employment in the aviation maintenance industry; conduct outreach about careers in the aviation maintenance industry to primary, secondary and post-secondary school students; and support educational opportunities related to aviation maintenance in economically disadvantaged areas.

Visit the FAA website for additional details about the grant recipients.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.