The FAA Workforce & Education Division works to strengthen the aerospace workforce pipeline to ensure the safety and resilience of the National Airspace System (NAS). The future of the NAS depends on having a skilled, mission-ready workforce that is fostered through stakeholder engagement between the FAA and stakeholders throughout the United States. In turn, we collaborate with industry, education, and community organizations nationwide to expand awareness of aviation careers, connect learners to real-world pathways to these careers, and help ensure students can clearly see how to prepare for high-demand careers across the ever-growing aviation system.

Connecting Education to Aviation Workforce Needs

A key part of our stakeholder engagement is convening education leaders and aviation partners to align K–12 awareness and career exploration with the training, certification, and higher-education programs that prepare students for aviation careers.

These engagements help:

• Connect K–12 educators and students to aviation training opportunities, certifications, and postsecondary programs
• Strengthen awareness of the education and training steps required for critical-need aviation careers
• Support clearer pathways into roles that help keep aviation safe and moving—such as air traffic control, aviation maintenance, engineering, safety, and other mission-critical occupations
• Share practices and resources that educators can use to support students in their regions and communities to help foster the understanding of these in-demand aviation careers

Stakeholder Meeting Recordings & Resources

The first stakeholder engagement webinar focused on air traffic control careers and pathways, including how students can prepare for the profession through education, training, and certification programs. Presentations featured colleges and universities that offer aviation and air traffic control training programs, helping educators and partners better understand the steps students can take to pursue air traffic and other aviation related careers, as well as opportunities for school systems to partner with higher-education institutions to support student pathways into aviation.

Meeting recording

The FAA held its first stakeholder engagement regional webinar on January 28, 2026, which encompassed stakeholders that covered three of the FAA’s nine regions. The regions included for this webinar were Alaska, Northwest Mountain, and Western Pacific. Those three regions cover 12 states. K-12 stakeholders from those 12 states were invited to the meeting to hear the FAA and our collegiate stakeholders discuss careers in Air Traffic Control.   Watch the most recent stakeholder meeting recording, focused on Air Traffic Control, here:

Future stakeholder meetings will highlight additional high-need aviation careers, connecting educators, students, and partners with training providers, educational institutions, and industry organizations that support entry into these professions. Additional stakeholder meetings and recordings will be added to this page as they become available.

Want to Learn More?

Visit the FAA Workforce & Education Division Contact Us page to connect with us. We would love to connect with aviation stakeholders across the country to help ensure we foster the growth of the aviation workforce to help ensure a safe and efficient NAS for the future.