The aircraft maintenance professional's source for technological advancements, maintenance alerts, news, articles, events, and careers
Issue link: http://amt.epubxp.com/i/904741
ARSA INSIGHT By Brett Levanto 54 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY T HIS MONTH, AMT MAGA ZINE IS proudly honoring its third class of Next Gen Award winners. The annual tradition of celebrating these young men and women is a vital showcase for the talent we will depend on for decades. As always, this year's winners include some of the best young talent from across ARSA's member- ship: Peter DeSutter, AAR Aircraft Services; Adam Thacker, AAR Aircraft Services; Collin Stannard, Constant Aviation; and Jan- Philipp Loos, Lufthansa Technik AG. It's great to celebrate them. In fact, it's vital: Despite projections that the global avi- ation maintenance industry will top $100 bil- lion within a decade, repair stations report increasing difficulty finding and retaining technical talent. Finding good examples of developing professionals already serving the aviation community is a great way to spot- light good careers, professional advance- ment, and the personal rewards of keeping the world in flight. The challenge, though, is that we can't slow down while we're doing so. There's no chance to "hold for applause," as they say in show business, because our show never ends. Even as we take a moment to recognize the good works of this year's honorees, they have par ts to inspect, over - hauls to perform, and schedules to meet. In suppor ting them, we must continue to uphold our end by advocating for better workforce policies, commonsense regula- tion, and commitment to both good safety and good business. This past year, ARSA's work on Capitol Hill focused more than ever before on growing the aviation maintenance workforce of the future. With the support of its champions in Congress, the association proposed FAA reauthorization bill amendments direct- ing the Government Accountability Office to study the aviation technical workforce, creating a pilot grant program to support MRO skills development and seeking ways to enhance the value of airman certificates. The legislative push — one of the most successful in ARSA's history — underscores how impor tant it is for the maintenance community to develop new talent pipe- lines while nurturing those who've already shown up to work. Participants at October's Strategic Leadership Conference spent a day "engaging for effect" in the capital city to help drive these points home. (We're char ting FA A reauthorization, which is still a work in progress, at arsa. org/faareauthorization-2017 .) While ARSA's team is busy in Washington, it continues the work of providing tools and resources for repair stations, compo- nent shops, and par ts producers across the world. The association's work is care- fully laid out on arsa.org, but there are key points to check for finding and developing the right people: 1. Aerojobs.org. The web-based recruit- ment tool specifically targets individuals with the skills needed to maintain aircraft (regardless of what industry they're in now). 2. AVMRO.arsa.org. The industr y's information portal introduces the world of maintenance, repair, and overhaul. The site has information useful to everyone from job seekers to the media to elected officials to nervous fliers. 3. Propaganda. "You Can't Fly Without Us," a seven-minute documentar y on the maintenance industry produced for public television. ARSA provides license for use of the film as an informational or recruitment tool. (Visit arsa.org/documentary to see how you can use the video.) 4. Training. The association's growing librar y of sessions on regulator y compli- ance, government affairs, legal, and busi- ness development topics now includes eight hours accepted for IA refresher training. Ever ything you need to get better at your job and get ready for the next one. (Visit arsa. org/training for course information and to register.) We'll continue our larger work even as we celebrate this year 's honorees. Congratulations to Peter, Collin, Adam and Jan-Phillip — you may not get to stop for our applause, but we know you can hear us cheering. BRETT LEVANTO is vice president of operations of Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C. He provides strategic and logistical support for the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. He was a 2015 AMT Next Gen Award winner. For more information visit www.arsa.org. DON'T HOLD FOR APPLAUSE In supporting this year's winners, we must continue to uphold our end by advocating for better workforce policies, commonsense regulation, and commitment to both good safety and good business 2017 STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. Each year, ARSA's SLC provides industr y leaders from around the world an informal setting to discuss important issues facing aviation maintenance. On Oct. 18 and 19, the aviation main- tenance community landed in the U.S. capital to "engage for effect." See what happened by visiting arsa.org/slc-2017 .