The South Texas Aviation Maintenance Technician Education Project (STAMP) by Del Mar College, a Minority and Hispanic Serving Institution, is to improve technician education in aviation maintenance technology (AMT) and avionics in community colleges and four-year institutions. Activities include development of Web-enabled, interactive educational materials; professional development for AMT educators; and recruitment and retention of students for AMT associate degree programs and transfer to a baccalaureate aviation sciences program. STAMP partner institutions include five Texas community colleges: Del Mar College (lead), Midland College, Tarrant County College, Texas State Technical College-Waco, and Texas State Technical College-West Texas, and a four-year institution Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, FL). The project will work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure that the AMT curriculum aligns well with the FAA certification requirements to meet the job market needs.
The project disseminates the interactive Web-based modules to community college AMT programs across Texas, and eventually to AMT programs nationally through the National Center for Aerospace and Transportation Technologies, reaching a potential 14,000 AMT students annually. The modules, developed using modern practices, expedite and improve certified aviation technician preparation for a more consistently educated technical workforce. The project shares best practices for successful recruiting strategies to bring more diverse students and veterans into AMT programs, which increases the number of students underrepresented in AMT, particularly women and Hispanic students.
