Sen. Cramer: UND Awarded $488,000 for Aviation Workforce Development from FAA

Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) announced today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded $488,000 to the University of North Dakota (UND) under the Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development grant program.

UND’s project will hold Teach the Teacher events in eight locations across the region during the academic school year, preparing teachers to become Part 107 certified, followed by summer professional development workshops for STEM high school educators focused on the implementation of Aviation, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and engineering principles. It will also feature direct outreach to bring hands-on learning experiences for rural high schools in the area. These funds will help raise interest in aviation at an early age and educate the next generation of aviation professionals across the United States.

Senator Cramer and the North Dakota congressional delegation sent a letter to the FAA on behalf of UND’s request highlighting the opportunity for UND to “expand its outreach efforts to middle and high school students in the region to demonstrate UAS technology and highlight careers operating these aircraft.”

In a press release from UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, Associate Dean Elizabeth Bjerke thanked Senator Cramer and explained the grant funding will reach STEM teachers across the state to promote aviation careers.

“We are enthusiastic to be a part of the FAA Aviation Workforce Development grant program,” said Associate Dean Bjerke. “This award will help us reach across the entire state of North Dakota to raise excitement and interest in aviation-related careers. We can’t wait to get started! We also would like to thank North Dakota Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer for their instrumental efforts in securing funding for these grants.”

Background:

In September 2020, Senator Cramer and a bipartisan group of senators urged the Department of Transportation and the FAA to fully implement two aviation workforce grant programs authorized in the 2018 FAA Reauthorization bill that invest in and expand the development of the next generation of aircraft pilots and maintenance technicians.

“The grant program for pilot education will support the creation and delivery of curriculum designed to provide high school students with meaningful science, technology, engineering, math, and aviation education,” wrote the senators in a letter. “This program has the potential to grow our nation’s pilot workforce by encouraging our nation’s youth to become the next generation of commercial, general aviation, drone, or military pilots. The grant program for aviation technicians will address the well-documented maintenance industry skills gap by encouraging and facilitating collaboration between schools, government, labor, and industry to recruit and train the technical talent America’s aerospace sector will require to keep the nation’s aircraft operating safely and efficiently.”