As Choose Aerospace programs prepare students for the ATEC General Aviation Maintenance Credential, we're bringing together the tools and resources educators need to guide them through the process.

ASA Prepware is included in your Choose Aerospace license and gives teachers tools to assign practice quizzes, identify knowledge gaps, and focus review before students take the credential exam.

Visit our Test Prep page for current guidance. More resources are coming soon: a process flowchart, W-9 forms and contact information for ASA and Navispire, an endorsement rubric, and short training videos to help you get the most out of Prepware and prepare students for the credential.

The payoff extends beyond the exam. The credential documents students' knowledge and can help open doors to further training. Our Partner Pathways page highlights schools offering course credit and scholarships for Choose Aerospace completers. Most opportunities specifically recognize the ATEC credential—including qualifying General course credit at aviation maintenance technician schools and scholarships of up to $7,500. Explore the requirements with your students as they plan their next steps.

​Aviation manufactures put vital information for their customers into official documents called Service Bulletins (see our Maintenance and Inspection Regulations course to learn more). This is an efficient way to get critical information to the aviation community. We thought we would use the same process in the monthly newsletter! Here you will find monthly updates and practical notes to keep your Choose Aerospace classroom running smoothly. 

New Teacher’s Toolbox training video. Our newest Teacher’s Toolbox video, “Disabling Certificates,” shows how to limit access to course completion certificates. Want students to complete specific content beyond the assessments? Release certificate access once they meet your additional completion goals. Find out how in the video. 

From Guided Notes to Guided Conversations. You may have seen that we’re hiring a contract Instructional Designer to streamline Instructor Guides and better support teaching with the LMS. A key change: replacing Guided Notes with Guided Conversations. Following along and taking notes during videos can be difficult. The new approach will give teachers prompts to discuss video content as a class.  Feel free to shift to this method now! Just use the notes handouts to lead your conversation with students. As the saying goes, the one doing the talking is the one doing the learning. 

DC is live; AC is next. Fundamentals of DC Electricity launched September 15 and should be in your MyCourses dashboard. AC Electricity is close behind! 

A more realistic semester plan. Find our new dynamic planning spreadsheet under the Resources/Teacher Tools tab on our website. It combines posted LMS completion times with allowances for review, classroom management, and hands-on projects, then calculates your daily class minutes to return how many days you should spend on each lesson to help you plan your semester. 

Team registration is now open for The Competition, the Aerospace Maintenance Council's flagstone event, taking place at VERTICON and MRO Americas in 2027. Aviation maintenance students are invited to put their skills to the test alongside industry professionals through hands-on challenges that showcase technical knowledge, accuracy, and teamwork.

At the 2026 Competition at VERTICON, five teams representing three Choose Aerospace programs put their training to the test. Rising Aviation High School earned the overall championship, outperforming professional and military teams and demonstrating the capabilities of the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians.

Beyond the competition floor, students gain valuable exposure to the aviation maintenance industry, connect with potential employers, and experience the demands of working in a professional maintenance environment.

Schools and training programs are encouraged to field teams at two upcoming events:
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The Competition at VERTICON: March 15-17, 2027, in Anaheim, California. Three-person student teams are eligible to compete.

The Competition at MRO Americas: April 12-15, 2027, in Orlando, Florida. Five-person student teams can compete alongside aviation maintenance professionals from across the industry.

Whether participating for the first time or returning to build on previous experience, student teams have an opportunity to apply their training, build confidence, and demonstrate their skills on an industry stage.

Learn More and Register

Recent advocacy efforts are helping advance policies that expand opportunities for aspiring aviation maintenance technicians, including an FAA petition supporting early testing and congressional outreach during ATEC's annual Fly-In in Washington, D.C.

Strong Support for Early FAA Testing

ATEC thanks the educators, industry partners, and supporters who submitted comments on petition FAA-2026-9274, which seeks to allow eligible Choose Aerospace students to take the FAA Aviation Mechanic General knowledge test earlier in their training.

The public comment period closed September 23. The petition represents an important step toward creating more flexible pathways to mechanic certification and recognizing the foundational knowledge students gain through the Choose Aerospace curriculum.

Aviation Maintenance Education Priorities Take Center Stage in Washington

During ATEC's Fly-In, 56 aviation maintenance educators and industry representatives met with 82 congressional offices to advocate for policies supporting the technician workforce.

Discussions focused on workforce development funding, early certification pathways, access to designated mechanic examiners, and modernization of FAA certification processes.

These efforts complement the Choose Aerospace mission by addressing barriers to aviation maintenance training and strengthening pathways from education to employment.

Read the ATEC Fly-In Impact Report

In cooperation with AeroStar Avion Institute, Choose Aerospace will announce the second recipient of the Tammera Holmes Youth Educator of the Year Award at the ATEC Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas, in April 2027. 

The award honors the legacy of Dr. Tammera Holmes, a founding board member of Choose Aerospace and founder of AeroStar Avion Institute. A visionary educator, she dedicated her career to opening aviation pathways for young people—particularly those from underserved communities. Her work continues through AeroStar, creating access, encouragement, and meaningful aviation opportunities for young people. 

Each year, a Choose Aerospace committee selects an educator who carries that vision forward by exemplifying Tammera’s values, engaging meaningfully with students and fellow instructors, and going above and beyond to help young people achieve success in aviation. 

The award does not use a nomination process. Instead, the committee considers educators across the Choose Aerospace network whose commitment, innovation, and student impact distinguish their work. 

We look forward to recognizing another outstanding educator and celebrating the difference all Choose Aerospace instructors make.  

Choose Aerospace is expanding the tools available to help students prepare for the ATEC General Aviation Maintenance Credential. Through Navispire, participating programs will receive access to ASA Prepware, the web-based platform used to deliver the credential exam. 

Prepware School will also give instructors another valuable tool for reinforcing learning throughout the Choose Aerospace program. Instructors can establish their own practice-testing environment and provide students with additional opportunities to review content, check their understanding, and become comfortable with the testing process. 

The Choose Aerospace curriculum already includes robust assessments within the SkilRedi learning management system. Prepware is intended to supplement those assessments. While SkilRedi assessments help instructors measure student progress within each course, Prepware can provide another way for students to demonstrate what they know and identify topics that may need additional attention. 

Programs do not need to wait until students are ready to take the credential assessment to begin using Prepware. Instructors may choose to incorporate practice tests throughout the full run of the Choose Aerospace curriculum. This can help students build confidence over time, revisit earlier concepts, and prepare gradually instead of relying on intensive review at the end of the program. 

ASA is generously donating access to Prepware School for teachers and giving a steep discount to Choose Aerospace to provide Prepware access to students. However, schools should be aware of two possible administrative steps before implementation. Completing local requirements promptly will help ensure that students can begin using Prepware once access becomes available:

• If Navispire is not already an approved vendor for your school or district, your program may need to complete the local vendor-approval process. This may be required even though Choose Aerospace is covering the cost of student access. You can find Navispire vendor info and their W9 at: navispire.org/
• Prepware is an account-based, web-delivered educational tool. Because students will need individual accounts to use it, school districts may have additional technology, privacy, security, or student-data requirements that must be addressed before access can be provided. To reach out to ASA, visit their website at: asa2fly.com/contact-us/

There is no action for instructors to take through Choose Aerospace yet. In the coming weeks, we will send detailed instructions explaining how programs can establish their Prepware School environment, how teachers can use its practice-testing features, and how students can make the most of the platform as they prepare for the credential assessment. 

Watch for more information soon as we prepare to make this new resource available to Choose Aerospace programs. 

​Completing the Choose Aerospace curriculum gives students a strong foundation in aviation maintenance. The ATEC General Aviation Maintenance Credential gives them an independent, third-party way to demonstrate what they have learned—and that validation is becoming increasingly valuable. 

The credential can help students show FAA-certificated part 147 schools and prospective employers that they have developed meaningful aviation maintenance knowledge through their Choose Aerospace coursework. It can also provide valuable third-party validation for local CTE programs, helping schools demonstrate that their instruction is preparing students for continued education and careers in the industry. 

Most importantly, the credential is already creating tangible opportunities for Choose Aerospace completers. 

Saint Francis University recognizes the ATEC Credential as evidence that a Choose Aerospace completer has satisfied the requirements for General credit. At Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, a CA completer who earns the credential may qualify for the ADVANCED level of the PIA Next-Gen Aviation Pathway Grant—providing $1,500 toward tuition every semester, up to $7,500. 

These opportunities illustrate why earning the credential can be much more than a line on a student’s résumé. It may help a completer receive college credit, avoid repeating material, reduce the cost of training, or move more quickly toward an FAA mechanic certificate and a career in aviation maintenance. 

Last May and June, several programs participated in the credential process. Thirty-three Choose Aerospace completers sat for the credential, and 20 passed—showing that students who engage with the curriculum can successfully validate their learning through an independent, challenging assessment. 

Preparation should begin far before students reach the end of the program. Programs of every age, including those beginning their first year with Choose Aerospace, can build credential preparation into their programs from the start. Participating programs receive access to ASA Prepware included in program fees, allowing students to become familiar with the material, identify areas where they need more practice, and strengthen their knowledge throughout their Choose Aerospace experience. 

There is also no cost for students to participate in the credential process. That makes this a powerful, accessible opportunity to strengthen your program while giving students another way to carry their learning forward. 

Choose Aerospace will send detailed instructions to participating programs in the coming weeks. For now, begin talking with your students about the credential, consider how Prepware can fit into your program, and watch for information on how your school can take the next step. 

Learn more about the opportunities available to Choose Aerospace completers through our Partner Pathways. 

The FAA has opened the public comment period on ATEC’s petition to allow eligible Choose Aerospace students to take the FAA Aviation Mechanic General written knowledge test.

ATEC filed the petition last month to create an early testing opportunity for students who complete the Choose Aerospace Aviation Maintenance Curriculum, receive an instructor endorsement, and pass the proctored ATEC General Aviation Maintenance Credential exam.

Currently, completing the Choose Aerospace curriculum at a school without a part 147 certificate does not, by itself, make students eligible to take the General knowledge test. If approved, the exemption would allow eligible students to demonstrate their foundational knowledge while it is fresh and complete an FAA testing milestone as they continue on pathways toward A&P schools, employment, and apprenticeships.

For participating programs, the proposed pathway could also provide a federally recognized measure of student achievement and help demonstrate program value to families, administrators, funding agencies, and industry partners. Passing results could support consideration of transfer credit, credit for prior learning, or advanced placement at FAA-certificated A&P schools, where offered.

Choose Aerospace programs, partners, and other aviation education stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments in support of the petition. A draft comment template is available to make submitting comments easier. The template is drafted for high school programs but can be revised as needed to reflect your organization, students, partnerships, and workforce needs. ATEC also has draft comment templates for industry and part 147 program support, available here. 

To submit:

1. Customize the template. Remove bracketed instructions and any examples that don’t apply.
2. Open the FAA comment form for docket FAA-2026-9274.
3. Upload or paste your comment. You can submit a letter on school letterhead as an attachment, or copy the body of your letter and paste it directly into the comment form. 
4. Complete the required fields, review, and submit by September 23, 2026. 

​Choose Aerospace and SKILLED Nation are calling on industry partners to help fund the next round of scholarships for students pursuing careers in aviation maintenance.

Demand for scholarship support continues to far exceed available funding. During the last scholarship cycle, 586 eligible students from 44 states and more than 120 school campuses applied for assistance, but funding was available for just 20 recipients. Nearly three-quarters of applicants came from households earning less than $75,000 annually, underscoring the financial barriers many aspiring technicians face as they work toward their careers.

For the 2027 program, scholarships will be awarded in $5,000 increments, providing students with meaningful support toward the cost of their aviation maintenance education.

Industry partners interested in funding a full scholarship are encouraged to commit $5,000 by September 30. Contributions of less than $5,000 are also welcome and will be combined with other industry contributions to fund additional $5,000 student awards. Every contribution helps expand the number of students the program can support.

By investing in these students today, industry partners are helping remove financial barriers to training while strengthening the pipeline of skilled aviation maintenance professionals our industry will depend on tomorrow.

If you have questions about supporting the scholarship fund, contact us. 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is encouraging K–12 educators to take advantage of aerospace education programs and resources available for the 2026–2027 school year.

Through its STEM Aviation and Space Education (STEM AVSED) program, the FAA provides opportunities for educators to introduce students to aviation, engineering, airport operations, emerging technologies and the many careers that support the nation's aerospace system.

Among the opportunities highlighted for the new school year are:

• Aerospace Workforce Educator Pilot Program: A new initiative for educators serving students in grades 3–5. Ten educators will receive ready-to-use aerospace lessons, classroom materials, interactive activities, FAA staff support and resources connecting classroom learning with aerospace workforce pathways.
• FAA Adopt-a-School Program: Connects FAA professionals with local schools for classroom visits, career exploration and aerospace-focused learning.
• Airport Design Challenge: Gives K–12 students an interactive way to explore aviation, engineering and airport planning by designing airports using Minecraft™.
• FAA ACE Academies: Summer programs offering hands-on aerospace experiences, mentorship and exposure to careers including pilots, engineers, aircraft technicians and air traffic controllers.

The FAA will also host an Aerospace Education Open Forum on September 23 at 4 p.m. ET, where educators can learn about resources and opportunities from the FAA and national partners including NASA, the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals and the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

About FAA STEM AVSED
The FAA’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Aviation and Space Education (STEM AVSED) program provides resources and opportunities designed to inspire students to explore aviation and aerospace. Through educational programs, hands-on activities and connections with aviation professionals, STEM AVSED helps educators introduce students to the wide range of careers and pathways available across the industry.

Learn more about FAA STEM AVSED
View FAA Aerospace Education Opportunities for the 2026–2027 School Year