Why It Matters

Nearly 100 aviation maintenance programs are training high school students as the aviation industry faces thousands of projected job openings each year, but students at uncertificated schools face an additional hurdle to becoming federally certificated aircraft mechanics.

A GAO report released Sept. 1 found that the federal government estimates approximately 11,300 open positions for aircraft mechanics annually through 2034, yet some students face barriers to entering the profession.

Nearly 100 aviation maintenance programs serve high school students across the U.S., but students attending uncertificated schools face additional requirements to become Federal Aviation Administration-certificated mechanics. The stakes are practical: a sufficient supply of aircraft mechanics is necessary to ensure a safe and robust aviation system, and federal and industry stakeholders have raised concerns about meeting projected workforce needs because of retirements, attrition, and growing demand for air travel.

The Government Accountability Office found that students from uncertificated schools who lack the requisite work experience or additional education are generally ineligible to take the general written knowledge test, typically the first in a series of FAA tests required to become an FAA-certificated aircraft mechanic. Some stakeholders identified this restriction as a barrier to students becoming mechanics through high school aviation maintenance programs.

The Big Picture

The FAA has certificated more than 200 aviation maintenance schools nationwide, but only 11 of those are high schools. Another 43 certificated colleges, universities, or career and technical education schools serve high school students. Meanwhile, at least 43 high schools offer aviation maintenance programs but are not FAA-certificated, meaning students generally need relevant work experience or additional education before becoming eligible to take FAA mechanic tests.

School representatives interviewed by GAO had little data on graduates' career outcomes. Graduates of aviation maintenance programs have pursued pathways including further training, employment, military service, and enrollment in four-year colleges.

Stakeholders identified several barriers to students becoming aircraft mechanics through high school aviation maintenance programs, including the cost of attending certificated schools, the cost of FAA mechanic tests, limited access to examiners, limited resources and instructors, transportation challenges, and testing eligibility restrictions for students from uncertificated schools.

Stakeholders most frequently identified limited awareness of aircraft maintenance careers among students entering high school as a barrier. Some stakeholders said internships and partnerships with the aviation industry could help increase students' awareness of the career. One stakeholder also said having to take courses at a certificated school after attending an uncertificated school can be costly.

Broader Context

Congress recognized the issue in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included a provision directing GAO to review programs that train high school students in aviation maintenance and identify certain barriers for graduates. The law also required the FAA to task the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee with establishing the Airman Knowledge Testing Working Group by May 2025 to assess whether students who successfully complete an aviation maintenance curriculum should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test.

That deadline passed without action. FAA had not established the Airman Knowledge Testing Working Group or obtained the required assessment by the time of the GAO report. FAA officials said they were unable to establish the working group because, according to the Department of Transportation, the department terminated all members of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee pursuant to an executive order requiring the termination of advisory committees deemed unnecessary.

As a result, FAA has not obtained the assessment required by law.

The Bottom Line

GAO recommends that FAA establish a group of industry stakeholders and aviation experts to assess whether high school students should be allowed to take the general written knowledge test after successfully completing an aviation maintenance curriculum at an uncertificated school. GAO said the group could operate through the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee or another mechanism and could help FAA assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of expanding test eligibility.

The Department of Transportation concurred with GAO's recommendation and said it would provide a detailed response within 180 days of the report's issuance. The recommendation remains Open, meaning GAO has not yet confirmed that FAA has taken actions sufficient to address it.

The assessment could also help FAA determine whether expanding access to the test could help address projected workforce demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an average of about 11,300 aircraft mechanic job openings each year through 2034, while federal and industry stakeholders have raised concerns about the industry's ability to meet workforce needs because of retirements, attrition, and growing demand for air travel.

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