The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded $5 million towards universities and aeronautical educational institutions to educate the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals. 

The FAA’s Aviation Workforce Development Grant was part of the FAA Reauthorization act of 2018 which the US president signed on October 5, 2018. The act addressed the projected shortages of aircraft pilots in the aviation industry.

The act gave the FAA the authority to establish an Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program. The objective of this program is to grant aircraft pilots support proposals that generate interest and prepare students to become aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers, or unmanned aircraft systems operators. These grants can also be used to support the professional development of teachers delivering eligible aviation curriculum.

“Our investment in the aviation workforce of the future must begin today,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement. Dickson himself is a former commercial captain. 

“These grants help nurture interest in aviation at an early age to build a career during one of the most dynamic times in aviation history.”

Recipients of the Aviation Workforce Development Grant include:

• Florida State College, Jacksonville, Florida.: $498,000
• Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, Michigan.: $90,000
• Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina.: $269,000
• University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota.: $488,000
• County of Scottsbluff School District #16, Gering, Nebraska.: $500,000
• Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, Flushing, N.Y.: $498,000
• Aerotrek Flight Academy, LLC, Wadsworth, Ohio: $77,000
• Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.: $491,000
• Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.: $135,000
• Spartanburg County School District #5 (James. F. Byrnes High School), Duncan, South Carolina.: $31,000
• South Carolina Department of Education, Columbia, South Carolina: $425,000
• Florence School District One, Florence, South Carolina.: $339,000
• Crowley Independent School District #912, Crowley, Texas: $139,500
• Utah State University, Logan, Utah: $238,500
• Randolph Macon Academy, Front Royal, Virginia.: $307,000
• Old Dominion University Research Foundation/Virginia Space Grant Consortium, Norfolk, Virginia.: $474,000

Full details of the grant awards can be viewed here.