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www.AviationPros.com 29 BRAD GROOM is Director of Education, Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Cheseapeake, VA. He has a bachelor's degree in education and is a FA A certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. He started his aviation career in 1977 while serv- ing in the U.S. Air Force. For more information visit: www.aviation- maintenance.edu; www. FighterFactory.com; and www.militaryaviationmu- seum.org. WORKFORCE TRAINING IN GERMANY Some 500 young people are currently undertaking either tradi- tional or dual-study training programs with the Lufthansa Technik Group in Germany. Around 15 different vocational training programs or fields of study are available for selection. The most important train- ing locations at Lufthansa in Germany are Hamburg and Frankfurt. 157 apprentices and dual-track students (a specific part of the German "Ausbildung" educational system) started with Lufthansa Technik in 2015 while approximately as many again will commence in August 2016. The selection process for 2017 is already underway in parallel. With an ever dwindling cohort of future workers, caused by a down- ward trend in birth rate, and the sinking numbers of candidates for training, Lufthansa Technik has intensified its HR marketing efforts in recent years. This also includes collaboration as part of the Hamburg Aviation initiative, in which the Hamburg aviation industr y joined forces with the city of Hamburg and universities. Lufthansa Technik is closely cooperating with seven German universities. Thanks to these measures and the increasing interest shown by young women, cur- rently approximately 15 percent share, in aviation-related professions, Lufthansa is still receiving sufficient applications in order to fill all training places with suitable young candidates. In addition to profes- sional standards, aviation-related professions also require special character-forming qualities. Lufthansa Technik fills a large percentage of technical positions available in the company from the ranks of its own trainees and dual- study students. A funding program exists for the purpose of studies following on from the training for especially suitable trainees. A sepa- rate technical training organization (Lufthansa Technical Training) ensures continuous education and qualification of the specialists throughout their entire working life. MTU Germany hasn't been particularly affected by a shortage of aviation/aerospace talent. It has great school and university programs, which helps create and maintain contact to young talent. Though, MTU has noticed that it is becoming more difficult to find qualified and interested applicants for apprenticeship-type jobs that are a part of the German "Ausbildung" system, as many young people are choosing study over more vocational training programs. MTU is, of course, looking for an incredibly specific profile and skill- set, so to find the right person can take some time and effort, but that is the same in ever y sector and industr y. In Hannover, Germany, MTU has a number of programs to attract and keep talent. It has the Maintenance Laborator y (Maintenance Labor). This is a collaboration with the Technical University Braunschweig that combines theor y with practical experience for engineering students. It covers lectures and workshop visits and enables students to really get hands on. MTU also has a master's pro- gram, through which current employees can apply to receive a grant for studies. These employees can stop working and study full time, and they are guaranteed a job. Additionally, MTU offers a grant for a part-time course alongside employment. MTU offers the "JET trainee program" which is an 18-month program across the company and sees graduates getting to know ever y area of the business before taking up a role in a particular area. A dual study program is available which combines vocational training with a degree. MTU collaborates strongly with schools and universities. MTU has ver y good ties to the TU Braunschweig, but it is also well-networked with three other higher-education facilities in the Hannover region: the Leibniz School of Business, the Leibniz Akademie, and the Weserberglund University. — Marino Boric because of our people. We choose them very care- fully, and just as important, they chose us very carefully." Its apprentices go on to earn a GCAA/ EASA Part 66 "A" license. Looking in our own back yard here in the United States, I did a search on the American Airlines web page for an apprenticeship program. All that popped up was a link to an International General Rules AA1, "Hmmm, no apprentice program there?" A quick search on Delta's web page resulted in "no results found" for an apprenticeship program. Continuing my research, I found an article posted Dec. 18, 2015 that told of a San Diego Miramar College student who joined Delta Air Lines on a paid internship. Well so far the U.S. airlines have one aircraft mechanic in a paid internship but no true apprenticeship program. Next, I found an article dated Oct. 1, 2007 by Mitch Muller titled "Commercial: Into the Blue: JetBlue Charts New Territory with Apprentice Mechanic Program." I thought, "This looks promis- ing" even though it was dated from 2007. I head- ed to the web page www.jetblue.com and I did notice that it had a tab for internships; however, I did not see any apprenticeships being offered. I'm starting to think to myself, "Maybe there are some apprenticeships for aircraft mechanics in the United States but they are incorporated through the individual company managers and not handled on a national scale. Researching the International Airlines Apprenticeship Programs was just a click of the tab on each company's web page. It was just that easy. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised how much information and details they went into about their programs. Nothing like that from the U.S. domestic, major or regional airlines I searched. Of course, if you have a dual vocational training system like Germany has, I can see why Lufthansa Technik has such a great apprenticeship pro- gram. Would some type of dual vocational train- ing system work here for our upcoming aircraft