Join ARSA Ask ARSA Pay ARSA

Quick Question Answered: Time to Onboard a New Technician

For years, the maintenance community has faced recruitment headwinds. According to ARSA’s recently-completed member survey, the vast majority of respondents have difficulty finding technical talent – one of the two biggest perceived risks for the industry this year. It is challenging to attract qualified applicants, so it’s important to consider what happens once they’re actually in the door.

Click the image to view the full size graphic. To download a copy to your computer, right-click and save the image.

ARSA asked and 35 members answered: How long does it take for you to turn new hires into productive technicians? On average, respondents report that the average non-certificated technician needs 14 months of development to be a profitable employee and certificated technicians need nine months. While those figures were moderated by several reported quick-turnarounds for each type of technician, there were multiple respondents that indicated a full two years (24 months) were needed to produce a useful technician regardless of their certification.

The member survey data indicated each employee represents $177,000 in average annual revenue. Considering that figure, the lost productivity produced by this onboarding time lag could result in a considerable amount of lost revenue across the entire industry.

If you have questions or want to provide additional information, contact Brett Levanto (brett.levanto@arsa.org). Keep a lookout for more “quick questions” from ARSA.



More from ARSA

Substitute Teaching

On May 30, ARSA Vice President of Operations Brett Levanto visited with three classes on sixth grade students at Bush Hill Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia. Levanto was making good…Read More

Mourning with a Colleague

On May 22, a Cessna Citation 550 crashed in San Diego, California. On May 25, the San Diego Medical Examiner confirmed that among the aircraft’s passengers was Kendall Fortner, the…Read More

AMT Day – Celebrate Charlie

Charles Taylor, the Wright Brothers’ mechanic and father of aviation maintenance, was born on May 24, 1868. Now – 157 years later – we celebrate him through continued commitment to…Read More

A Future Better than Yachting in the Caribbean – 2025 Scholarship Winner Daniel Lucerne

Meet ARSA’s 2025 Scholarship winner Daniel “Danny” Lucerne of the Atlanta campus of Aviation Institute of Maintenance. Lucerne’s interest in aviation was stoked while yachting (as crew) in the Caribbean.…Read More

SBA Pushes DOT on ARSA OpSpecs Recommendation

On May 5, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy submitted comments to the Department of Transportation’s regulatory reform request for information. The comments compiled small business issues from…Read More
ARSA