THE COALITION TO ENGAGE TECHNICAL, ENGINEERING AND MAINTENANCE PROFESSIONALS
Choose Aerospace, Inc. is a partnership of aerospace stakeholders, joined together to address one of the biggest threats to continued industry growth: the availability of a diverse, qualified technical workforce. The purpose of the campaign is to unite companies, associations, labor unions and educational institutions, to spur interest in aerospace careers, and identify and implement solutions to the aerospace workforce shortage.
The Numbers
The industry is facing a massive technical workforce shortage, as evidenced by government and industry reports and studies. Some include:
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates 5% growth for aircraft mechanic and technical careers in the next decade. The Bureau projects 12,400 new technical job openings in the next ten years.
- Airbus projects a need for 639,000 new technicians worldwide in the next 20 years—up from the company’s 2017-2036 estimate of 550,000 new technicians.
- Boeing’s needs estimate is even higher; the manufacturer says that the commercial, helicopter and business aviation industries combined will require 769,000 technicians worldwide by 2038, including 193,000 in North America.
- An Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) report estimates that there are more than 2,500 unfilled technical positions in the U.S., costing the repair station industry upwards of $642.5 million in annual revenue.
- A Helicopter Association International study projects a shortage of 7,649 pilots and 40,613 certificated aviation mechanics in the U.S. by 2036.
- A report provided by Oliver Wyman, a technical consulting group, forecasts that demand for aviation maintenance technicians will outstrip supply by 2022.
- The ATEC Pipeline Report found that new mechanics make up 2% of the population annually, while 33% of the workforce is at or near retirement age. Industry will need to produce another 2,700 mechanics annually over its 2019 output to meet the 20-year demand.
The PlanA cross-section of industry stakeholders, representing all industry segments, are coming together to address the imminent workforce need. Choose Aerospace, Inc. will embark on the following activities as resources allow.
Content DevelopmentA primary objective for Choose Aerospace is to make aerospace career and technical training a priority in secondary schools and to provide multiple career paths to success within the industry. Given coronavirus impacts on aviation technical programs, and the expectation that schools will pursue more computer-based learning options moving forward, the organization is in search of partners to support development of standardized aviation technical curriculum. See the request for proposal.
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Market Research Report
Research firms will facilitate focus groups and quantitative internet studies to pinpoint the target audience, determine what marketing initiatives will have the most impact and identify career perception challenges and opportunities.
Campaign Brand Development
Expert creative development resources will be harnessed in order to craft clear and consistent messaging points, tone of voice and look and feel. Activities may include:
- Development of a tested and finalized outward-facing name and campaign logo
- Creation of identification package to include fonts, colors and usage guide
- Release of an official website
- Creation of social media accounts
Content Marketing Development and Strategy
Campaign architects will identify effective marketing opportunities to bolster workforce development. The content marketing strategy will develop content that speaks and reaches the target audience including video testimonials, an organic social media campaign that provides a 2-way conversation around choosing a career path, targeted display ads, and mobile games and apps.
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After drawing insights from our deep-dive research, develop content that engages and drives a call to action, deploy messaging, and optimize content placement. Some of these might include:
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Success Measurement
Once developed and deployed, the marketing strategy will be constantly measured and assessed on the performance of each platform, tactic, and activity. Depending upon the platform, performance assessments and optimizations will be made on a daily, weekly and/or monthly basis.