Feb. 9 (UPI) — In a bid to boost staffing levels across the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed Friday it will launch a new program to recruit and retain new air traffic controllers.
The FAA detailed aspects of its Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative program Friday, which will allow select post-secondary institutions in the AT-CTI program “to provide the same thorough curriculum offered at the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy.”
The news comes after a federal report published in November identified attrition and turnover rates among air traffic controllers as a major issue moving forward.
The National Airspace System Safety Review Team’s analysis scrutinized the Air Traffic Organization’s internal structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts.
“Hiring more air traffic controllers is a priority,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement.
“We need more entry points for controller candidates and this enhanced college controller training program is an additional avenue to get controllers into facilities sooner.”
Approved colleges can begin applying in April to join the Enhanced AT-CTI program. Approval will allow them to sign a partnership with the FAA and incorporate the curriculum. Colleges will be eligible to begin offering the program beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
The training initiative is one of several steps the FAA is taking to increase the overall number of controllers at U.S. airports and improve training, following the release of the National Airspace System Safety Review Team report in November.
“This includes year-round hiring for experienced controllers from the military and private industry, filling every seat at the FAA Academy and finishing the deployment of upgraded tower simulator systems in 95 facilities by December 2025,” the FAA said in its statement.
The new academy model will also look to “assist in the appropriate distribution of the workforce, especially as it relates to internal movement by air traffic controllers to higher level facilities as well as into traffic management, staff support, and supervisory promotions,” the report reads.
The report cautions that oversight bodies must act now before “to detect and manage risk before serious incidents or accidents occur.”
