Avionics News August 2012 - 50

BUSINESS BASICS

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Two Paths The route to accreditation depends on the program’s nature, and there are two options. The Aviation Accreditation Board International accredits two-year, four-year and graduate aerospace programs at colleges and universities, while the National Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies serves non-degree vocational programs. The specific process varies with the organization. AABI, for example, recognizes 90 individual programs

school. The team prepares a report on its findings to outline strengths and weaknesses, recommendations, and suggestions. Then, it sends it to the college president for review and comment. A final report, including comments, goes to the accreditation committee, which makes a recommendation to AABI’s full board of trustees. The board of trustees is currently chaired by Paula Derks, president of the Aircraft Electronics Association. If accreditation is granted, it’s valid for a five-year period. The process, including the site visit, costs about $5,000, according to Kiteley. But, with it comes credibility to contribute

tions of their curriculum, equipment lists and floor plans for their facilities as documentation. Additionally, the program administrator, or at least one faculty member, must be certified as an NCATT aircraft electronics technician. If those schools are already Part 147-certificated, they meet recordkeeping and grading standards, so a site visit isn’t warranted. Hestilow reviews the documentation to determine the program’s eligibility. Accreditation is granted for an initial two-year term followed by five years for subsequent renewals; initial accreditation costs $500, while renewals cost $250. Technician Certification One benefit of accreditation is students are able to say they graduated from such a program. In the case of NCATT, students also are prepared to sit for the AET exam. While graduation from an accredited program isn’t the only route to AET certification, it’s the most efficient for technicians new to the industry. Loosely based on the automotive service excellence award for automotive technicians, the AET is the sole certification qualifying the expertise of avionics technicians. It measures the core knowledge the industry expects, and it serves as the building block for additional continuing-education endorsements in the field. Lately, AET certification is becoming a requirement for job seekers at a growing number of shops, which can afford to be picky right now, according to Adamson. “It’s part of the screening process,” he said. In fact, some corporate flight departments require it for new-hire A&Ps, according to Hestilow. “Their airplanes are becoming so much more dependent on electronics and avionics, they want to know that the A&P has a clue about what’s going on,

W h e t h e r i t ’s p e r s o n a l c e r t i f i c a t i o n o r institutional accreditation, the impetus is clearly on demonstrating qualifications.

across seven aviation disciplines, from avionics to flight education, that have passed muster against its Form 201: Criteria for Accreditation, according to Gary Kiteley, AABI president. AABI’s process, as mandated by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, includes both a selfevaluation against objectives the program defines plus a site review, which typically takes about two years to complete. AABI members submit their application, a curriculum outline for their program and an assessment plan to AABI’s accreditation committee. When this is approved, the program gains candidate status, and it begins a self-study, which includes collecting data on student-learning outcomes. Once this report is approved, the peer team, which includes at least one industry representative, visits the
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actively in high-level strategic discussions between industry, government and academic stakeholders. Yet, few colleges – and fewer universities – offer avionics training. Technical schools serve as the mainstay for this training. Currently, 20 hold NCATT accreditation, and three online schools hold recognized training provider status. NCATT stipulates that schools teach a scope of material defined by industry consensus standards and to appropriate competency levels modeled after the U.S. Air Force, according to Rick Hestilow, director of standards and certifications for the organization. In the application, programs indicate which subjects they teach – NCATT offers 32 possibilities, including some mandatory ones, and at least 80 percent must be taught – as well as intended competency levels for students. Schools also submit por-

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2012

Avionics News August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News August 2012