AVIONICS TECHNICIAN APPRENTICESHIP

U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship · Co-sponsored by AEA and Fastport

An earn-while-you-learn pathway that builds the avionics technician your shop can't find. The shortage is a training-and-proof problem as much as a numbers problem, and this apprenticeship solves both. Your technician earns a paycheck while learning on the job, completes CAET-aligned instruction, and finishes with a nationally recognized credential that means the same thing from one shop to the next. Fastport handles the federal paperwork so you don't have to.

Why it works

• Federally registered. A U.S. DOL-Registered Apprenticeship whose framework satisfies 14 CFR 65.101(a)(5)(ii), supporting FAA Repairman Certificate eligibility.
• Built on the CAET. Related instruction aligns to the CAET, so training and certification point at the same target.
• Earn while you learn. Your apprentice is a paid employee from day one; the job is the classroom.

Run in partnership with Fastport

AEA co-sponsors this Registered Apprenticeship with Fastport, a national apprenticeship intermediary. You adopt the national program standard with a single agreement, and Fastport manages the U.S. DOL and RAPIDS registration on your behalf. AEA delivers the training and the CAET credential.

The employer incentive

$3,150 per apprentice at the 90-day milestone, through the American Manufacturing Apprenticeship Incentive Fund (AMAIF). The funds cannot pay wages, but they can offset costs you would carry anyway: CAET certifications, AEA training, OEM modules, tooling, and safety gear.

What an apprentice does

• On-the-job learning: 43 competencies across eight skill areas, signed off by an evaluator at your shop.
• Related instruction: about 672 hours, delivered through AEA and aligned to the CAET.
• The credential: the apprentice earns the CAET, and can continue to CAET Advanced.

FAA acceptance

Completing the apprenticeship supports eligibility for the FAA Repairman Certificate under 14 CFR 65.101(a)(5)(ii).

FAA Acceptance Letter

How to get started - for shops

1. Confirm your AEA membership (or join).
2. Schedule a meeting with Gena at Fastport to go over the basics.
3. Sign one national-standard adoption agreement; Fastport files the DOL/RAPIDS side.
4. Register your apprentice as a W-2 employee.
5. Deliver the on-the-job hours – NOTE: AEA has training materials for the Related Technical Instruction (RTI)
6. Claim your $3,150 AMAIF incentive at the 90-day mark.

Get started

Nick Brown, Director of Workforce Development, AEA - nickb@aea.net