Aren’t We All Special?
Avionics technicians are in a class of their own when it comes to the government’s definition of the aviation maintenance workforce — but the rest of the industry requires special treatment, too.
Information is the oxygen in the modern age, but the aviation maintenance industry — and the government — is suffocating from a lack of accurate data. Repair stations continue to struggle to find qualified maintenance technicians; however, a 2014 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded there was no evidence of labor shortage.
What gives? That analysis was based on the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, the basic tool by which the American workforce is defined. It is essential to capturing the needs of the aviation community and for guiding career decisions. While noble in purpose, the system fails the aviation maintenance industry.
All aviation maintenance personnel (except avionics maintenance technicians) are lumped into one SOC classification. Even the GAO recognized that such broad classifications overestimate the number of qualified mechanics by failing to account for specific qualifications employers actively seek (like an A&P certificate). However, there is hope for clearing up the government’s ambiguity.
Avionics technicians are special. After all, they help keep aircraft safely aloft in the thickest clouds without getting lost. Mechanics and repairmen are also special — both can hold FAA certificates to perform a vast array of maintenance duties and are distinguished by their levels of education, experience, maintenance privileges and pay. The system that classifies them must recognize these essential differences.
By accurately capturing the regulatory requirements for different aviation maintenance careers, career paths will be illuminated and students will better understand the attendant professional and financial rewards of holding an FAA certificate. Indeed, businesses and the government will both be able to assess the needs of the workforce properly.
The SOC system is under constant revision and your voice can be heard in the upcoming review. In 2014 the SOC Policy Committee (SOCPC) requested public comment on suggested modifications. The SOCPC is reviewing those comments and will release its recommendations in spring 2015. Commenting on those recommendations will be essential to ensuring that revisions of the SOC structure reflect the true requirements and characteristics of the aviation maintenance workforce.
Pro-active engagement and working with the aviation network will ensure the government sees how and why you are so special.
Are you part of the community? Tell the government.
Ryan M. Poteet is a regulatory affairs manager for the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) and an associate for Obadal, Filler, MacLeod and Klein, PLC, where he advises clients in matters of aviation regulation and government affairs. Poteet graduated from Lynchburg College and earned his law degree from the Chapman University School of Law in 2012.