Avionics News December 2022 - 32

UNTAPPED TALENT POOL
Continued from page 31
MROs and business aviation flight departments.
Each year, approximately 200,000 members of the U.S.
Armed Forces, stationed in more than 140 military installations
in the U.S. and overseas, leave active duty and reenter
the civilian workforce or pursue higher education, according
to the U.S. Department of Defense. And in the five years
before the pandemic hit, the percentage of exiting service men
and women obtaining FAA AMT certificates via their military
experience jumped 75%, according to the ATEC report.
Using available Government Accountability Office data,
ATEC estimates the civil aviation industry is capturing less
than 10% of veterans with at least some aviation maintenance
experience. " Even so, one in four A&P students is a veteran, "
the report said.
How can the aviation industry take advantage of this largely
still-untapped talent pool to address its maintenance workforce
challenges and staffing shortages? And what are the benefits of
developing a military talent pipeline for aviation for employers?
Connecting
companies with veterans
Veterans working in general aviation today say it's much
easier for military members to find information and support
for making the transition to civilian aviation maintenance
careers now than it was just five or more years ago.
" I joined the Navy in 1989, and in 1990, I remember distinctly
being at my first assignment and seeing the headline on
the newspaper about the Gulf War, " said Berryhill, who served
as a Navy aviation electronics technician. " In that moment, I
didn't realize how my skill set translated into what I do today.
" The box that I worked on - the pulse radar jammer -
jammed the signals that the surface-to-air missiles used. I did
not understand how that relates to air traffic control. When
they (the Navy) were teaching me basic electronics and electricity
and theory of operations for the system that I worked
on and learned to repair, nobody ever said, 'oh by the way,
radar in the U.S. works on a similar technology.' I had the
naive idea when I left the Navy that no one in general aviation
or commercial aviation would be interested in my skills as a
technician or employee. "
Fast-forward to today, the U.S. Armed Forces are much
more focused on helping military personnel connect those dots
and explore careers opportunities - including those in aviation
- much earlier, even before they leave the service.
Each branch of the military offers its own Transition
Assistance Program to provide information, resources and
32 avionics news * december 2022
How to support the
military-to-civilian
career transition
Here are a few organizations
that provide resources for military
members and veterans launching new
careers in civil aviation maintenance,
as well as for companies wanting to
employ veterans:
* DOD SkillBridge -
skillbridge.osd.mil
* NextOp - nextopvets.org
* Hire Heroes -
www.hireheroesusa.org
* USO - uso.org/programs/usopathfinder-transition-program
q
tools to service members to help prepare for the move from
military to civilian life. During this transition period, TAP
provides assistance to service members ranging from resume
writing guidance to putting people in contact with professional
job-hiring companies.
In addition to TAP, service members within 180 days of
their release from active duty also have access to the Department
of Defense SkillBridge program to connect them
with employers for internships, job-training programs, and
pre-apprenticeship opportunities, where they can get valuable
hands-on experience in industries that interest them while
planning their civilian career path. The DOD pays the service
member's salary and benefits at no cost to employers, and in
return, the employer gains access to a pool of talented, skilled
and dedicated workers. After the SkillBridge internship ends,
the employer also has the option to offer the service member a
full-time job as a civilian.
The SkillBridge program serves as an important military
talent pipeline to aviation because it allows service members
and employers to " try each other on " and helps facilitate
the service member's transition to civilian life, according to
http://skillbridge.osd.mil http://www.nextopvets.org http://www.hireheroesusa.org https://uso.org/programs/uso-pathfinder-transition-program https://uso.org/programs/uso-pathfinder-transition-program
Avionics News December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News December 2022
