Airports and their support industries have changed significantly over the past several decades. It is imperative that academic programs continue to evolve with these changes to better prepare the next generation of airport industry professionals. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 230: Enhancing Academic Programs to Prepare Future Airport Industry Professionals provides guidance to assist academia in preparing graduates for careers as airport industry professionals. A supplemental presentation is available.
"More airport operations/management academic programs at both the high school and community college levels would help the airport industry. With baby boomers currently reaching retirement age at the rate of 10,000 each day, and later generations much smaller in size, new employees are not entering the workforce swiftly enough to replace those leaving because of retirement, illness, and other complicating factors. As a result, the aviation industry, like others, is experiencing a significant labor shortage. With no end in sight, the industry has joined forces in a number of unique partnerships in an effort to not only enhance the quality of current aviation graduates, but also stimulate interest in aviation careers among college students, high school students, and even middle school and elementary school students. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Synthesis 103: Promoting Aviation Career Education in High Schools and Community Colleges points out the many characteristics of high school and community college aviation programs throughout the country, which could prove useful to airport management. By better understanding the academic programs producing the next generation of aviation professionals, airports can develop proactive efforts to promote the airport profession to aviation programs in their local area and influence young people to seriously consider airports as a viable career path, thus positively affecting the future of the airport industry." -- Provided by publisher.
Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) aids in making capital investment decisions by determining whether the benefits of a proposed action justify its costs. This synthesis, Effective Practices for Preparing Airport Improvement Program Benefit-Cost Analysis, defines and describes benefit assessment techniques used by airports as well as other modes, highlights best practices, and identifies inconsistencies of how benefits are calculated and where there is confusion in the benefit-cost guidance published by the FAA. The project focused on a review of benefit-cost literature, including benefit-cost analyses submitted to the FAA, and structured interviews with airport managers and other applicants, consultants who prepared BCA studies, and FAA staff. BCA is a tool to aid agencies in project selection and prioritization. At its core, it is a computational tool to determine whether an investment will generate benefits that will exceed its costs. This analysis is accomplished by expressing all current and future benefits and costs on an equivalent basis, which is their present value (PV). A project is economically efficient if it has a positive Net Present Value (calculated as the PV of benefits minus the PV of costs), and hence also a Benefit-Cost Ratio exceeding one.
Engaging the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals is an edited volume that brings together a diverse set of academic and professional perspectives within the three themes of attracting, educating, and retaining the next generation of aviation professionals (NGAP). This compilation is the first academic work specifically targeting this critical issue. The book presents a rich variety of perspectives, academic philosophies, and real-world examples. Submissions include brief case studies, longer scholarly works from respected academics, and professional reflections from individuals who have made important contributions to their field. The book includes academic chapters that explore the topic from a more theoretical standpoint yet are accessible and understandable to a professional audience. These are complemented by both broad and specific practice examples that describe initiatives and applications occurring in the industry around the three themes. All submissions include descriptive insights, experiences, and first-hand accounts of accomplishments, intended to support the work of other professionals managing NGAP issues. This work will be valuable to anyone involved in attracting, educating, or retaining NGAP, including academics, operators, national and international regulators, and outreach coordinators, among many others.
"TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 75: Airport Leadership Development Program is designed to assist existing and future airport leaders to assess, obtain, and refine airport-industry leadership skills. The program includes forms for a full 360-degree individual assessment of core leadership traits. A complete facilitator guide with Microsoft PowerPoint presentations and participant workbooks and materials are also included on the CD-ROM that accompanies the print version of the report. The CD-ROM is also available for download from TRB's website as an ISO image. Links to the ISO image and instructions for burning a CD-ROM from an ISO image are provided below."--Publication info.
TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 20: Strategic Planning in the Airport Industry explores practical guidance on the strategic planning process for airport board members, directors, department leaders, and other employees; aviation industry associations; a variety of airport stakeholders, consultants, and other airport planning professionals; and aviation regulatory agencies. A workbook of tools and sequential steps of the strategic planning process is provided with the report as on a CD. The CD is also available online for download as an ISO image or the workbook can be downloaded in pdf format.
