Graduates are placed directly in FAA facilities for localized training.
The FAA announced on Sept. 15 that it had signed an agreement with EmbryRiddle to join its Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI). EmbryRiddle is the first university in Arizona to receive approval for the Enhanced AT-CTI program, announced the U.S. Department of Transportation in a news release.
The enhanced program aims to strengthen the pipeline of air traffic controllers through university programs that offer the same thorough curriculum and advanced training technology as the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Graduates are placed directly in FAA facilities for localized training.
“We’re taking aggressive action at the FAA to recruit the best and brightest into our controller workforce by making the training process more efficient than ever,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in the news release. “These jobs are critical to keeping our skies safe and with the expansion of our training capabilities through Enhanced AT-CTI schools, we are bolstering our aviation workforce and ushering in a higher volume of controllers beyond our previous capabilities.”
The Prescott Campus recently upgraded its Air Traffic Control Laboratory with advanced simulators designed to replicate tower operations and equipped to run more than a dozen FAA-aligned scenarios, said Kyle Wilkerson, assistant professor and program coordinator for the Air Traffic Management program.
“By training on the same scenarios used at the FAA Academy, students come out of our program ready to step into real-world operations,” he said.
“As the national airspace grows more complex and the demand for air traffic controllers continues to rise, EmbryRiddle is ensuring that the next generation is ready to meet those challenges with clarity and confidence, starting from day one,” said Dr. Ken Witcher, chancellor of the Prescott Campus. QCBN
Courtesy Photo: Embry-Riddle student Magdalena Kokenge performs an air traffic simulation exercise in the new Air Traffic Control Laboratory on the Prescott Campus.
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