GRAND FORKS, N.D. (PRAIRIE PUBLIC/KFGO) – The dean of the UND Aerospace School said there’s a growing interest among students in the air traffic control program. UND is part of the program called the “Enhanced Training Initiative” with the Federal Aviation Administration. Robert Kraus said air traffic control is the school’s second oldest program, established in the 1970s. He said over the years, it has grown.
“When students are done with their training, they take an equivalent to the final exam of the FAA training academy down in Oklahoma City,” Kraus said. “So graduating from our program, passing that means they are trained and ready to go to a job. Then you can bid for a job in the air traffic control system.”
Kraus said so far, one student has graduated in that initiative, and is now working through the FAA process, to get an assignment.
“I think we have two more coming up in this May graduation,” Kraus said. “Then it’s going to be exponential after that.”
Kraus said a number of current controllers are reaching retirement age, and they will need to be replaced.
“We have to build that pipeline,” Kraus said. “And it has to be a continuous pipeline, because you can’t just take a new controller and replace the oil controller. It takes years of experience to build up to the point where you’re able to work in Chicago Center, or O’Hare airport, or something like that.”
Kraus said even the Grand Forks Airport is a busy airport as well.
“So, the demand is there,” Kraus said. “And it’s not going to go away.”
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