Nominations for appointments to the Women in Aviation Advisory Board must be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by October 29 and Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force nominations must be submitted to the agency by October 30. The panels were announced by Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao on October 9.
The women’s advisory board will be responsible for developing and providing a comprehensive plan for strategies that FAA Administrator Stephen M. Dickson can use to:
- Identify industry trends that directly or indirectly encourage or discourage women from pursuing careers in aviation;
- Coordinate the efforts of airline companies, nonprofit organizations, and aviation and engineering associations to facilitate support for women pursuing careers in aviation;
- Create opportunities to expand existing scholarship opportunities for women in the aviation industry; and,
- Enhance aviation training, mentorship, education, and outreach programs that are exclusive to women.
The youth task force will develop and recommend initiatives to the FAA to encourage high school students towards an aviation career. Its mandate is to develop and provide independent recommendations and strategies to:
- Facilitate and encourage high school students beginning in their junior year, to enroll in and complete career and technical education courses, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), that would prepare them to enroll in a course of study related to an aviation career at an institution of higher education, a community college, or trade school;
- Facilitate and encourage the students described above to enroll in a course of study related to an aviation career, including aviation manufacturing, engineering and maintenance, at an institution of higher education, including a community college or trade school; and,
- Identify and develop pathways for students who complete a course of study described above to secure registered apprenticeships, workforce development programs, or careers in the aviation industry of the United States.
Further details on the panels and information required to be submitted on the nominations can be found at the Federal Register at Women in Aviation Advisory Board and Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force.
