As part of an effort to address the air traffic controller (ATC) shortage across the country, the FAA has signed an agreement with Nashua Community College (NCC) to offer a curriculum based on the agency’s Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI).
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Monday that the New Hampshire-based community college would be the next school to adopt the program, making it the fifth school this year to join and eighth overall.
“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we’re solving the air traffic controller shortage one step at a time,” said Duffy. “Our new partnership with Nashua Community College will help us continue to attract the best and brightest to fill our air traffic control towers. To all the young Americans considering a career in this exciting field—your work will make flying safer and more efficient than ever.”
Duffy and the FAA, along with newly-appointed FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, have taken numerous steps to address the nationwide shortage of ATCs, a gap that stands at between 3,000 and 3,500 needed, according to media reports. On Thursday, Duffy unveiled a staffing blueprint that calls for the onboarding of around 8,900 new controllers through 2028.
Even if Duffy’s onboarding numbers are achieveable, the FAA expects to lose around 6,800 ATCs over the next three years due to normal workforce attrition. This would net the agency a gain of 2,000 available controllers—far from the 3,500 needed to reach 100 percent staffing.
This has led to the continued push of programs like the Enhanced AT-CTI that NCC just adopted. Students that enroll at an institution offering the curriculum have the opportunity to receive education similar to ATC trainees at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
Upon graduation from an Enhanced AT-CTI program, students can forgo the FAA Academy and immediately report to an ATC facility and begin on-the-job training. According to the course listing on NCC’s website, the program will provide a two-year associate degree and students will take advanced courses on ATC tower operations.
“Expanding opportunities in high-demand fields is essential to ensuring New Hampshire has a dependable pipeline of talent,” said New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte. “This partnership with Nashua Community College will help build the workforce of tomorrow right here in the Granite State, while opening new doors for students to pursue rewarding careers that keep our state strong and our nation safe.”
NCC’s associate program is akin to the one Florida’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University announced in June. Embry-Riddle, building on its four-year ATC degree, was the first institution to announce an associate degree program under the Enhanced AT-CTI. While its four-year program focuses on en route and terminal operations, its two-year degree focuses on tower training, similar to NCC.
Both programs will begin this fall and require students to pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam and satisfy the medical and security requirements to complete the Enhanced AT-CTI program.
