Washington (March 30, 2023) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced the Aviation Minority Workforce Development Act, legislation that would direct the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to create a federal grant program to increase racial and gender minority access and representation in the aviation workforce, among other opportunities, by creating and expanding aviation programs at state-supported Minority Serving Institutions — including Historically Black Colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions or Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and Native American-serving nontribal institutions.
In 2018, Congress passed the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, which created a Women in Aviation
Advisory Board (WIAAB) to provide recommendations on promoting gender diversity
in the U.S. aviation workforce by providing education, training, mentorship,
and advocacy opportunities for women and girls. In March 2022, the FAA released a
report underscoring that the U.S. aviation system had fallen behind in
providing job opportunities to minorities, finding that less than 20 percent of
aviation sector workers are women, less than 10 percent of pilots and
maintenance technicians are women, and workers of color make up less than 10
percent of flight engineers. This report stated that “identifying and
recruiting talent from underrepresented groups is an obvious and necessary
strategy to address workforce needs throughout the industry. Federal financial
support to colleges and universities that serve underrepresented communities
will help reach a more diverse population of students, including women, with
support for access to aviation training.” The report also included a number of recommendations
to increase the gender and racial diversity of the aviation workforce,
including the recommendation that Congress establish a federal grant program
for Minority Serving Institutions to create or expand aviation programs.
“Our aviation workforce must have individuals from all backgrounds, races, and
genders,” said Senator Markey. “That is why I am proud to
introduce the Aviation Workforce Development Act. My bill will
empower Minority Serving Institutions to develop the next generation of aviation
pioneers to reflect the diversity across our country. We must uplift students
of every gender and race so that their aviation career can take off, including
by supporting MSIs for the skies.”
The legislation can be found HERE.
Specifically, the Aviation Minority Workforce Development Act will
grow racial and gender diversity in the aviation sector by:
The Aviation Minority Workforce Development Act is
endorsed by the WIAAB, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Massachusetts
Association of Community Colleges, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“In order for the United States to maintain and enhance its economic status in
the world, we must be intentional about unlocking, investing in, and developing
talent from across the diverse landscape of our country,” said Dr.
Harry L. Williams, President and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “The
Aviation Minority Workforce Development Act is an example of smart
public policy that invests in the talent at Historically Black Colleges and
Universities and Minority Serving Institutions to strengthen our nation’s
workforce while opening the doors of opportunity for countless students to
pursue their dreams. We thank Senator Markey for sponsoring this very important
piece of legislation and look forward to working with him to get it across the
finish line.”
“This is an exciting program that could provide incredible career opportunities
to individuals who may not have perceived it as a possibility before. The
facilitation of specialized aviation programs, increased access to
apprenticeships, and scholarship opportunities is particularly fitting for
community colleges both for the benefit of our students and the aviation
workforce,” said Nate MacKinnon, Executive Director of the
Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.
“The aviation industry demands a diverse workforce that is trained on cutting-edge
technology,” said Sanjay Raman, Dean of Engineering at UMass
Amherst. “We appreciate Senator Markey’s leadership in offering this
important legislation. The UMass Amherst Transportation Center, particularly
through its work at the UMass Aviation Research & Training facility at the
Westover Municipal Airport, stands ready to forge new collaborations across
higher education institutions that will allow us to leverage our research and
training expertise to meet the future needs of air transportation and its
workforce.”
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