Avionics News January 2018 - 4

Happy New Hire!
"You can't push anyone up the ladder unless they are willing to climb." - Andrew Carnegie

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of data collection was less scientific. I attended the AEA
t the start of each new year, I usually ask you to
Connect Conference in Kansas City this fall, met some
reignite your professional development efforts
high-caliber students from regionally-based AEA member
by taking the new version of the Avionics News Technical
schools, and spent time "connecting" these entry-level
Training Exam. While I am asking you again this year,
technicians with potential employers. They were doing
I also suggest something else - a new challenge. Think
a fine job on their own, and we simply added a few
about developing an entry-level avionics technician.
extra handshakes. These students were military
Remember the late Bob Carpenter's
veterans, career changers, A&P students with
acceptance speech for his AEA Lifetime
avionics concentrations, had resumes in-hand
Achievement Award in 2009, where he
and freshly-minted AET credentials on the way.
challenged members to hire a salesperson? If
These were motivated young adults looking for
you took his advice, you are likely reaping
the same start you once received. They were
the rewards and keeping a fond memory of
looking for their break and were eager to put
his business acumen. This new challenge,
equal in risk and less certain in reward, may
their installation skills and electronics knowledge
Mike Adamson
not be new for some avionics managers,
to test. They emailed me, followed up with leads,
where developing a new technician is
and yes, a few of them found opportunities with
already standard procedure. But for other shops, this is the AEA member shops.
human resource equivalent of drafting your quarterback
Here's the bottom line: The "avionics draft" is deeper
of the future in the first round - minus the big contract,
than you think, and it doesn't only take place one month
of course. Like every general manager, you are going to
a year. Your next pick is out there, a hardworking, astute
have questions. What can I expect in the near term? How
young professional eager to learn and get to work right
much do I have to invest before I know they are going
away. We can't be myopic and only look at "qualified" as
to be productive? What if another shop recruits them
our qualifier for new hires. My challenge to you and your
after a couple of years? How do they progress to more
team is to look for the person who meets your character
and work-ethic criteria first, then look for the skills and
complicated work? Where do I start?
experience, and finally, welcome the risk, set realistic
We already know it's difficult to lure talent from
performance expectations, and challenge your team to
another shop or other industries, as results from the
annual AEA Rate and Labor Survey indicate. Every
assume the extra effort and bring this new technician up
year, the survey results reaffirm the difficulty in finding
to speed.
"qualified" technicians. What we don't know, is how
Even though our industry is busy with a mandate
difficult it is to find entry-level technicians.
and we don't have the resources to find, evaluate, train
A recent survey conducted for the purposes of this
Continued on page 22
article confirmed it's not as hard as we think. The method

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avionics news

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january

2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2018
