February | 2018
MRO-Network.com
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Link to MRO-Network.com Article by Henry Canaday
LAUNCH Stresses Training and Career Development To Meet Recruiting Challenge
Company helps provide mechanics to airlines, MROs and OEMs.
Henry Canaday | Feb 05, 2018
“LAUNCH Technical Workforce Solutions is the aviation industry’s fastest-growing staffing solution,” says CEO Mike Guagenti. The company is now supporting clients in more than 160 locations worldwide. It faces and must overcome the same challenges all aviation firms do in recruiting techs.
LAUNCH offers three different services. It helps provides mechanics to airlines, MROs and OEMs. It offers avionics, structures and AOG teams for project-based work globally. And a professional service unit places engineers, program managers, supply chain managers and instructors in the aviation sector.
“Contractors in aviation are underpaid relative to other industries,” Guagenti acknowledges. “Further, there is a shortage of qualified mechanics, as more approach retirement and younger ones just out of school are drawn to careers in other sectors that offer higher wages. “
The LAUNCH CEO understands mechanics want a return on training costs, and LAUNCH helps find jobs with good pay and benefits. However, “the economics of air transportation drive the market, so changes must be made there to affect the overall pay structure.” Until these changes are made, Guagenti says recruiting challenges will continue to be tough.
Apart from compensation, mechanics seek a career path with potential for growth. That is one reason LAUNCH offers its project-based teams. The teams give clients technicians and supervisors for high-quality results, but they also give mechanics access to expert guidance and senior oversight. “LAUNCH’s culture includes a huge continuous learning component, which adds to every worker’s value as a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and sought-after mechanic,” Guagenti stresses.
In 2017, LAUNCH was certified by FAA as a Part-145 repair station. “Repair stations are required to have an FAA-approved training program, along with a safety and quality management system,” Guagenti notes. “This means mechanics will be exposed to ongoing education in an environment that is dedicated to their well-being.”
LAUNCH is developing a training program for future mechanics. The company combines what mechanics learn in vocational schools with its own lessons in succeeding in the aviation industry, plus mentorships with top maintenance veterans. Sharing LAUNCH’s knowledge of cutting-edge maintenance technology helps recruits, airlines and independent MROs.
