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Issue link: http://amt.epubxp.com/i/814701
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK 26 APRIL 2017 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY ent this time around is that all parties (schools, airlines, MROs, etc.) are on the same page and using their collective strength to elicit change. "The schools want to create candidates that actually meet the employers' needs; regulatory requirements make that chal- lenging," Maguire says. "Employers are putting new hires through months of training to ensure they have the skills and knowledge required to perform assigned tasks." While updating regulation that governs technical school curriculum is a move that needs to happen, could it lead to added costs that schools must absorb when obtaining the new equipment related to those updates? "I think everyone is in favor of updates (to the curriculum), but when you start making changes and updates like that, you start talking about expense," says James Howard, airframe structures instructor at George T. Baker Aviation Technical College, a Part 147 school in Miami that is operated by the Miami-Dade Public School System. The program cur- rently comprises about 1,000 high school and adult students studying for careers in aviation. "It comes down to the FAA, the school board, and others getting together to decide what needs to be done and what can be done." Howard says securing aircraft for stu- dents to train on can be a costly expen- diture, and any upgrades to the course work may necessitate schools getting their hands on an aircraft. "It's very expensive to get aircraft, and the airlines don't give them to us like they used to," he says, adding that his school is fortunate to have a Boeing 737 and a McDonnel Douglas MD-82 for training. Howard isn't alone in his concerns about budgets and the availability of AviationPros.com/company/10134024 What's on your workbench? Abrasives Adhesives Bulbs Chemicals Hydraulic Fluid Lubricants Oil Paint Sealants Shop Supplies usiness B B ircraft A A C C onsumables, inc. C C B A A B - o n l i n e . c o m www. 1-888-239-6625 1-815-356-5191 Internat'l In a 2016 survey of Part 147 schools, the top issues facing schools were unavailable or inaccessible government funding, followed by limited access to training equipment.