"Efforts to grow U.S. Maintenance workforce is paying off.

 Before covid, I was part of a study group with my employer and they had realized that 1/3 of the technicians we had would be eligible to retire in the next 5 years, and that was a scary proposition to an airline that had developed a reputation for a topnotch maintenance facility in the commercial airline world as well in the MRO world.  So we had started putting feelers to all the aviation schools in the southeast and near our feeder hubs.  We had learned it takes 5 years for a AMT to get totally qualified in our processes and procedures, go through our airplane schools and get qualified in each type we have in our fleet.  so we started preparing for the future exodus.....then Covid happened and a lot of people took the very generous package to get off our payroll.  so a lot of experience walked out the door, we had set the groundwork but the scarcity of AMT's (Aviation Maintenance Technicians) in the industry is a thing,   Not only were we scrambling to refill the pipeline, so was everyone else.  We have high standards., lawndarts are bad for company stock ya know.  Not only do you have to have an A&P license to work here as an AMT, you also have to pass mechanical aptitude test, and believe it or not, not every A&P mechanic passes those....and the ever popular *Pee in a cup* test, you won't believe the number of people flunk that little item too.    

     So yeah it is hard rebuilding, and it didn't help  that for years the kids were told, "go to college, get a degree," so a lot of kids are sucked into the educational industrial complex and a a lot of them quit, because they might have been better off going to a tech school, but a lot of guidance counselors view "blue collar" type of jobs with distain and derision.  Yeah a lot of those blue collar jobs pay 6 figure salaries if you don't mind getting your hands dirty.  I have made a hell of a good living for myself and my family working a blue collar job and the knowledge can't be done by robots or A.I.  certain jobs have to be done by people.

I snagged this from Aviation week.

The growth rate of newly trained aviation maintenance professionals shows that the industry’s efforts to attract talent are paying off, but looming retirements and projected industry expansion continue to pressure the technical workforce pipeline, a new report concludes

Leading the list of positive signs was the 11,103 new FAA airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanic certificates issued in 2025, according to the latest Pipeline Report, jointly produced by Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) and Oliver Wyman. The figure is both a record and a 23% jump over 2024’s figure.

Part 147 aviation maintenance technician schools (AMTS) drove much of the growth, generating 7,496 of the new A&Ps—a 27% jump over 2024 and also a new annual high, the report said. Enrollment was up 13%, it added.

“The overall growth trend and underlying drivers are encouraging signs that industry is making progress in its effort to expand and diversify the technical workforce pipeline,” said ATEC Executive Director Crystal Maguire. “We need to continue building momentum to meet both near-term and long-term demand needs, and that includes ensuring we’re attracting sufficient resources as well as workforce candidates.”

While the growth rates are strong, they are not enough to close the projected workforce gap. Oliver Wyman forecasts demand for 25,000 more North American aviation technical personnel than the industry will have, including 9,100 certificated mechanics. By 2030, the certificated mechanic deficit is projected to reach approximately 20,000, or 12% of anticipated demand.

Industry efforts to attract more candidates focus on driving up Part 147 school throughput, increasing military-to-civilian transitions and exposing more high school students to aviation career paths.

The Part 147 success has fostered new challenges, such as convincing enough qualified instructors to teach instead of working in the industry or staying retired, a survey completed as part of the report’s data-gathering found. Funding for required equipment necessary to teach and test students is also an issue, respondents said.

Military transitions into an FAA A&P license increased 5% to 1,375, but still fall well short of the estimated 20,000 qualified candidates that leave the armed forces each year.

Programs targeting high school students are growing as well. A recent Government Accountability Office report identified 43 high schools that offer aviation maintenance coursework, including 37 that are part of Choose Aerospace, the ATEC sister organization that developed an FAA standards-based high school curriculum.