LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Members of Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, gathered in celebration of three aircraft maintenance personnel who recently graduated from the Air Force’s Pathways Program, Friday, July 13, 2018.
Formed and designed after the GS Palace Acquire Program in 2015, representatives within Air Education and Training Command developed the service’s first wage grade internship program as a way to assist in rectifying the decline in qualified aircraft maintenance personnel, noted in data collected from a 2014 career field study.
Instead of having the estimated six to seven years to complete required upgrade training like newly assigned Airmen, the program was designed for interns to complete the same requirements within two years.
According to Mr. John Jasper, T-1 Division chief and program planning board member, the aircraft maintenance career field is the heartbeat to Laughlin’s success as a Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training base; however, in order to ensure mission success, an adequate number of skilled personnel and resources are needed.
“This initiative started back in 2014 when a group of dedicated folks gathered at Randolph Air Force Base to improve the critical Air Force aircraft maintenance manning problem,” said Jasper. “Working with AFPC and the career development team, they were looking for people that already had a head start, someone who already had a [Federal Aviation Administration certified Airframe and Powerplant License] and an associate’s degree was a minimum.”
Requiring specific qualifications before being eligible for this program was vital to each intern’s success. During their two-year internship, applicants were not only subject to receiving on-the-job training, but were evaluated on a variety of areas —Career Development Course, Computer Based Training and supervisory feedback.
“Quarterly reports were submitted, almost like a report card,” said Jasper. “Not just training was reviewed, but attendance, behavior and attitude.”
From being evaluated on overall skill performance and textbook knowledge through CDCs, each intern’s individual training team provided feedback on how well each member adjusted to the work environment. This comprehensive assessment was critical in determining if each member was a good fit for the team – something every intern found valuable.
“We were always learning something,” said Ms. Labrielle Gant, T-38 Airframe Powerplant General aircraft general mechanic and Houston native. “We had good trainers who weren’t afraid to let [us] get [our] hands dirty and learn from the different processes.”
These trainers, according to the maintenance leadership team, were career aircraft mechanics who assumed responsibility for ensuring each intern received adequate training to be labeled as proficient on the required skills.
“Several folks were assigned within the squadrons as on-the-job trainers,” said Jasper. “Each intern [works] side-by-side with these trainers, and these trainers have to verify that each trainee could do the assigned tasks.”
Even though each intern entered the program with certification and an understanding of the fundamentals, the quality of knowledge shared by these trainers were necessary to coincide with the interns’ formal textbook training.
“Having them take me under their wing and teach me everything they knew – the people were just awesome,” said Efrain Gonzales, T-1A APG aircraft general mechanic and San Antonio native. “Some guys have been here for decades, and they were willing to train me and show me how things went.”
For the interns, who graduated as wage grade 10 employees, the training provided by these senior aircraft mechanics not only benefitted their overall development and understanding of Laughlin’s aircraft, but aided their ability to learn the basic fundamentals for sustaining any other aircraft.
Students who participated in this program developed a skill set that allowed one the flexibility to specialize on any military aircraft. Upon completion of the program they could apply for a WG-10 position at other bases besides Laughlin. Two of the three graduates, Ms. Gant and Mr. Gonzales, decided to further their studies at Laughlin, while Mr. Jude Akhigbe, a T-6 APG aircraft general mechanic and Nigerian native, chose to pursue an opportunity at Altus, Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
“I always loved to work with aircraft and I decided that’s what I should do now,” Akhigbe said. “My dream was to work with the Air Force, but because of my age I was ineligible, so I said if I could go to the A&P school, the Air Force would always need mechanics.”
Aircraft cannot be sustained without the efforts of its dedicated aircraft maintenance division, and according to Jasper, even though this is the first cohort to graduate, the program was successful because each intern received one-on-one training and consistent mentorship.