Academy College has created a new program aimed at supporting MRO providers and others by offering aviation maintenance technician apprenticeships with structured on-the-job training (OJT) designed to reduce the managerial burden of administrating apprenticeships.
The AMT Apprenticeship Support Program provides study materials, virtual seminars, apprentice mentoring, an app for tracking OJT and self-study progress, and a report card on an apprentice’s overall progress. Because of long wait lists at aircraft maintenance schools and high demand for AMTs, Academy president Nancy Grazzini-Olson said maintenance organizations are hiring uncertificated mechanics to work alongside certificated mechanics for the hands-on experience required to test for the FAA airframe and powerplant certificate.
“The challenge we hear from industry is managing the additional workload to properly support an apprentice mechanic," said Academy's aircraft maintenance program coordinator Jake Rosholt. “This program is designed to ease the additional workload placed on supervisors and managers when hiring and training uncertificated mechanics.”
One of the first organizations to use the Bloomington, Minnesota-based college’s program was Bakersfield Jet Center by Loyd’s Aviation in California. “We see many talented people that would love to be an aircraft mechanic but cannot afford to take a time-out from life to attend a traditional school,” said Loyd’s Aviation president Ryan Crowl. “This program lets us train people in-house and simultaneously provides students the ability to make a living while pursuing their career goals.”