There's a big issue casting a shadow on the holiday travel season – a shortage of aviation workers.
From pilots to crucial air traffic controllers, projections are showing it may only get worse in the years to come.
But a new program by Fort Worth-based American Airlines is aiming for a long-term solution.
American Airlines has teamed up with the CR Smith Museum for the new Aviation Career Pathways program, which is about to wrap up its first full semester since launching this school year.
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The multi-year program for middle and high school students provides access to aviation STEM education and creates exposure to industry career opportunities. The museum is an independent nonprofit organization located on American Airlines' campus in Fort Worth.
So far, the program has engaged thousands of students in seventh to 12th grade, focusing primarily on multiple schools in the Dallas ISD. According to American Airlines, the program has room to grow to other schools in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond long-term.
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The program provides students with access to flight simulators at the museum, in-classroom problem-solving activities, tours at American Airlines' DFW hangars, the Museum’s annual Aviation Career Day and more.
“The challenges we see in research and hear from school leaders are threefold. First, one touchpoint isn’t enough. Second, opportunities need to be more than a presentation. And finally, transportation at schools in underserved communities is limited,” said Marie Eve Poirier-Harris, Education Director at the CR Smith Museum, in a press release by American Airlines. “Aviation Career Pathways brings the programming to the classroom, provides multiple touch points that include hands-on experiences and goes beyond presentations to creating connections with professionals.”
Educators with Dallas ISD say students are truly the future of flight – and they could be the key to solving some of these shortages reported on over the last couple of years.
These travel nightmares we've seen since the post-pandemic travel surge have a lot to do with the pilot shortage.
According to an analysis by consulting firm Oliver Wyman, there are projections of a global shortage of about 80,000 pilots by 2032.
The Federal Aviation Administration has even issued warnings about an ongoing air traffic controller shortage, which caused airlines to reduce flights in recent months.
The new Aviation Career Pathways program is bringing in droves of Dallas ISD middle school and high school students to give them direct access to aviation STEM education.
Skyline High School – the only DISD school with an aviation mechanics program already on campus – knows how crucial it is to address these shortages and send even more kids onto a potential path to aviation with this new partnership.
"We say the industry drives what we do and then we put the pieces of the puzzle together to make it to make it relatable to our students and meet them where they are,” said Joseph Pouncy, Skyline High School principal.
Most of the schools the programs work with are Title One schools in underserved communities and include students who might have otherwise never been exposed to aviation up close.
"A lot of our students may or may not have even traveled outside of Dallas city limits – they may or may not know what exists outside of the city of Dallas, outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex," said Pouncy. "And having the opportunity to see a campus like American Airlines, to see the history. It really brings something and makes some things real world – you can just see, it's almost like the students light up."
While Aviation Career Pathways is currently limited to serving students in Dallas-Fort Worth, the CR Smith Museum has resources available to students around the country, including access to student professional organizations and information about career programs.
"We're just tearing down those barriers and giving kids an opportunity," said Pouncy. "Having partners like American Airlines is valuable to add to those experiences that students wouldn't normally have."
