Congress Urged To Boost Funding of Aerospace Education

The Senate Commerce Committee met with stakeholders to discuss aviation workforce challenges ahead of FAA Reauthorization.

Amelia Walsh

Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 06:30 PM ET

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The Senate Commerce Committee March 16 hearing focused on strengthening the aviation workforce comes as Congress readies for FAA Reauthorization. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. aviation workforce faces significant challenges including the high cost of training and a critical lack of diversity, particularly among women.
Stakeholders at a Senate hearing urged Congress to increase funding for aerospace education and expand workforce development grants to reduce barriers to entry and attract a more diverse talent pool.
There is strong opposition to lowering pilot safety standards, such as the 1,500-hour rule, with pilot unions arguing that the primary issue is a "training backlog" and airline attrition rather than a shortage of pilots.

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The high cost of aviation training and the lack of diversity among the aviation workforce are some of the most pressing issues affecting the aerospace workforce, stakeholders told a U.S. Senate panel Thursday.

The Senate Commerce Committee March 16 hearing focused on strengthening the aviation workforce comes as Congress readies for FAA Reauthorization. Thursday’s hearing highlighted challenges facing the aviation workforce and presented solutions for improving the education, recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of workers in the industry and at the FAA. Increasing diversity and awareness for underrepresented groups was also a main topic of discussion.