Five years after losing certification for its aviation maintenance training program, Atlanta Technical College has been recertified by the Federal Aviation Administration and plans to restart classes in the spring.
The college, part of the Technical College System of Georgia, previously played a key role in training aircraft mechanics in metro Atlanta. Airlines and other aircraft maintenance businesses are concerned about a shortage of mechanics, and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines played a key role in helping the aviation maintenance airframe certificate program regain certification.
In a 2016 letter suspending the school’s certification, the FAA alleged that instructors at the college had failed to maintain required records on grades, attendance and make-up reports for students in some courses, and that several students who had not made up absences were allowed to move onto the next block of instruction.
In order to regain certification, the college had to revamp the entire curriculum, and the COVID-19 pandemic limited campus visits by inspectors, according to Atlanta Technical College spokeswoman Dorna Werdelin. Since losing certification, the college also has gotten a new president, dean and executive vice president of academic and student affairs.
Now that the program has been recertified, the college has started accepting applications again for an aviation maintenance technical certificate of credit that can be completed in three semesters. The college said it expects aircraft maintenance careers to grow 11% nationally by 2030, with jobs offering annual salaries that can start at an estimated $66,660.
Delta said Atlanta Technical College will give the airline “another important pipeline” for maintenance professionals. Separately, Chattahoochee Technical College plans to start an aviation maintenance training program at the Paulding County airport in a couple of years.
Atlanta Technical College, located between downtown Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, offers a wide range of other programs including computer information services, health care and public safety.
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