Neighborhood News
Education Conference Lands at Aviation Institute
The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) brought aviation vendors and professionals from around the world to Chicago's McKinley Park neighborhood for the 2023 annual conference of the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC).
John Holmes, president of international aviation services giant AAR, said it is essential for the aerospace industry to continue to train the next generation of technicians for a labor-hungry market.
"We are really struggling to find mechanics," Holmes said. "This conference is very important."
ATEC Annual Conference
Instructor Victor Croswell Jr attends the annual ATEC conference at AIM's Chicago campus.Holmes compared the labor shortage for technicians with that of airplane pilots. "The mechanics shortage is just as if not more critical," he said.
AIM and its Chicago campus played host to ATEC's annual conference from Sunday, March 26, through Thursday, March 30, 2023. Sessions included workshops, awards, Federal Aviation Administration mechanic examiner training and a tour of United Airlines operations at O'Hare Airport.
Tuskegee Airman
ATEC was founded in 1961 with the mission to support aerospace education toward meeting workforce needs. Its conferences bring together educators and vendors to share best practices and connect with the aviation industry's rapacious need for new skilled labor.
Convention-goers examine vendor displays at ATEC's annual conference at AIM's Chicago campus.Victor Croswell Jr. is an instructor at AIM and a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. His long experience in aviation and education has recently taken a turn to teaching pilots how to fly drones.
Drones Are Hot
"I've been teaching drones for six years," Croswell said, currently at B. Coleman Aviation at the Gary, Indiana airport. Croswell included drones in his expansive repertoire of aviation certifications and experience due to their popularity, he said.
"It is hot," Croswell said of drones education. AIM's Chicago campus does not currently offer drone training, he said.
Educational Ecosystem
Holmes lauded AIM programs to integrate aviation trades education with local high schools and post-secondary schools, including at the City Colleges of Chicago and Southern Illinois University's School of Aviation.
AAR President John Holmes, left, and AIM Vice President Joel English stand beside the Pratt & Whitney jet engine newly delivered to AIM's Chicago campus.This helps create "an educational ecosystem on the South Side of Chicago," Holmes said, including direct tie-ins with employment opportunities like the AAR fellowship program that guarantees students a job after graduation.
"Employment is the No. 1 solution to ... problems on the South and West sides," Holmes said.
These cooperative education programs are "an amazing example of what can be accomplished when people work together," Holmes said.
Ed. Note: The Aviation Institute of Maintenance is a Sponsor of the McKinley Park News. For information about our operations and policies, see our About Us page and the Letter from the Editor "Building a Trustworthy News Business."
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