By Allison Lampert
(Reuters) -Plans to combat a U.S. shortage of aircraft mechanics are in limbo after funds aimed at training a mostly male workforce are being held up by government efforts to remove mention of diversity, equity and inclusion from its own notices of available grants, industry officials told Reuters.
Lawmakers last year pledged tens of millions of dollars to train workers to repair and build planes to meet surging demand for maintenance and higher production from jetmakers Boeing and Airbus, but the grants have not been issued, they said.
Officials from one technical college and an education council said they were told by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year to reapply for grants once applications are rewritten to remove any references to DEI, in line with executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. They said they have not seen any new notices.
The delay in the FAA Workforce Grant program’s funds comes as industry faces an expected 10% shortfall in certified mechanics required to meet commercial aviation needs in the United States this year, according to a report being made public on Thursday by the Aviation Technician Education Council.
The FAA was not immediately available for comment.
DEI programs attempt to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups. Civil rights advocates have argued that such initiatives are necessary to address longstanding inequities and structural racism.
Republican Trump and his allies say DEI unfairly discriminates against other Americans, including white people and men, and weakens the importance of merit in job hiring or promotion. His administration has repeatedly sought to dismantle DEI programs, with recipients of federal funds asked to ban actions like training programs and policies aimed at underrepresented groups.
While some technical programs target female mechanics, women account for less than 3% of U.S. aircraft maintenance workers, according to ATEC’s pipeline report.
The delays in workforce grant funding were a topic of discussion at an ATEC gathering in Washington on Wednesday.
Crystal Maguire, executive director of ATEC, which represents U.S. technical schools and other groups, said her industry needs the funds to carry out plans to address the shortage.
“Now those dollars are being held up and we don’t know why,” she said.
Jim Hall, vice president of aviation and workforce development at WSU Tech technical college in the aerospace hub of Wichita, Kansas, said the longer the grants are on hold, the fewer students they can train.
“We are just kind of in limbo wanting to do these programs,” he said.
The $80 million over four years for maintenance, and a matching amount for aircraft manufacturing, both approved in the 2024 FAA reauthorization bill, support a sector that is predominantly male, Maguire said.
Maguire and Hall said some of the funds would give more high school students access to training that would help them receive certification to repair planes.
“We educate to build a workforce,” Hall said. “There are no politics involved in this.”
(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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