On Sept. 17 and 18, ARSA Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto supported the association’s allies at the Aviation Technician Education Council by attending and presenting at ATEC’s 2025 Washington Fly In on Capitol Hill.
In addition to moderating a discussion on career technical education policy and sharing insights on engaging Congress, Levanto participated in a non-stop morning discussion on FAA policy. Of interest to ARSA members – and all certificate holders – was the agency’s focus on recusing certification wait times. Both Tim Adams’ opening keynote and multiple flight standards presentations highlighted the importance of applicant “readiness” to enable quick application review.
The FAA pointed to the “Applicant Readiness Checklist” included as an appendix to Notice 8900.728 “Determine Applicant Readiness for Certification.” The checklist includes options for each part of 14 CFR. For repair stations there are 14 items – not all of which are requirements – with which members can find assistance through ARSA’s expertise and tools for members.
Levanto’s afternoon discussion Adam Flynn-Tabloff put a different focus on “readiness” in the form of engagement for state and federal career development resources. Flynn-Tabloff is the U.S. Department of Education’s director of policy, research, and evaluation at the Office of Career and Technical Education. He provided ATEC’s Fly In participants with background on and encouragement to engage with “Americas Talent Strategy” produced by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The overarching strategy “rests on five strategic pillars,” all of which apply to or can be utilized by aerospace employers and educators:
(1) Industry-driven strategies: The workforce system must transform into a reliable pipeline of American talent led by industry and aligned with America’s economic priorities.
(2) Worker Mobility: The “college-for-all approach” has failed, and workers struggle to navigate a fragmented system of workforce supports and attain economic mobility. Millions of Americans remain disconnected from high-wage jobs and career paths, with an increasing number disengaged and disincentivized from returning to work.
(3) Integrated Systems: The fragmented web of duplicative programs must be replaced with a streamlined, coordinated system that delivers unified workforce services.
(4) Accountability: Agencies must ensure federally-funded workforce programs deliver measurable results by linking investments to outcomes and program performance.
(5) Flexibility & Innovation: New models of workforce innovation must be created to match the speed and scale of AI-driven economic transformation.
Flynn-Tabloff also described opportunities for state level funding through the Carl D. Perkins Act and expansion of Pell Grants for short-term skill development programs. Repair stations can benefit from these resources, especially through partnerships with local training providers, that fund skills development. Overall, aerospace employers and educators should take advantage of the government’s focus on “high skill, high wage, or in-demand jobs” to foster career development opportunities for Americans.
