To increase the capacity and efficiency of the nation’s airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Founded largely on satellite-based navigation and surveillance of aircraft, NextGen’s benefits are supported by new automation and procedures. Given the safety-critical nature of air travel, the FAA must evaluate the impact of these changes on aviation jobs to determine whether modifications are required to the agency’s hiring and training processes.

To support the FAA in determining the potential impact that NextGen may have on the training of air traffic controllers, AIR conducted a strategic training needs analysis (STNA). The study resulted in detailed information regarding new training requirements as well as estimates of the resources that will be required to design, implement, evaluate, and maintain the new controller training. Providing this information to the FAA in advance of the changes that NextGen will bring provided them time to plan for those changes.