February 2008

Chair

The Honorable Emily Stover DeRocco

Assistant Secretary

Employment and Training Administration

U.S. Department of Labor 

The Honorable Sandy K. Baruah

Assistant Secretary

Economic Development Administration 

U.S. Department of Commerce

Gen John P. Jumper, USAF (ret.)

Air Force Association Board of Directors

(U.S. Department of Defense representative)

The Honorable Troy R. Justesen, Ed.D

Assistant Secretary

Office of Vocational and Adult Education

U.S. Department of Education 

Ehsan Khan, Sc.D

Physical Scientist

Office of Science

U.S. Department of Energy

Matthew Clark, Ph.D

Director of University Programs 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

The Honorable Ventris Gibson

Assistant Administrator for Human 

Resources

Federal Aviation Administration

U.S. Department of Transportation

Joyce Winterton, Ph.D

Assistant Administrator for Education

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

The Honorable Cora B. Marrett, Ph.D

Assistant Director for Education and

Human Resources

National Science Foundation

Korok Ray, Ph.D

Senior Economist

President’s Council of Economic Advisors

Executive Office of the President

Scott Steele, Ph.D

Senior Policy Analyst

Office of Science and Technology Policy

Executive Office of the President

February 2008

Table of Contents

I. About the Task Force

A. Organization and Objectives

B. Chronology of Activities

II. The Industry and its Workforce Challenges

A. About the Industry

B. Recruiting and Retaining Talent

C. The Skills Challenge and the Importance of STEM Education 

D. Image of the Industry

III. Task Force Strategies

A. Sustained Collaboration

B. Integrated Investments for Aerospace Workforce Solutions

C. Knowledge Sharing, Inventory of Model Solutions and Dissemination of Results

IV. Strategies into Action in 2008

Appendices

A. Public Law 109-420 Establishing the Interagency Task Force

B. Task Force Roundtable Summary

C. Aerospace Employment Center Map 

1

February 2008

1 See Appendix A.

sors and the White House Office of Science and 

Technology Policy.

The legislation requiring the establishment of 

the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force also includes several specific mandates for 

the group to carry out to improve the aerospace 

industry’s access to a scientifically and technologically trained workforce:

Maximize the cooperation and use of 

resources among Federal departments 

and agencies in fulfilling the demand for 

a skilled aerospace workforce across all 

vocational classifications.

Develop integrated Federal policies to 

promote and monitor public and private 

sector programs in science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and 

skilled trades education and training.

Establish partnerships with industry, 

organized labor, academia, and State and 

local governments to:

Collect and disseminate information 

on occupational requirements and 

employment projections; and

Coordinate appropriate agency resources, 

including grants, loans, and scholarships, 

for the advancement of workforce 

education, training, and certification 

programs.

Provide an annual report to Congress 

each year until the termination of the 

Act that details the findings, strategies, 

recommendations, policies, and initiatives 

developed by the Task Force.

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force is committed to converting these manI. About the Task Force

In recognition of the unique and ongoing workforce challenges facing the aerospace industry, 

Congressman Vernon J. Ehlers (R-Michigan, 

3rd District) introduced legislation to formally 

establish an Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force to develop a strategy to address 

the unique and ongoing workforce challenges 

currently facing the aerospace industry. Endorsed by a bipartisan group of 30 House of 

Representatives co-sponsors, this bill was passed 

by Congress and signed into law by President 

George W. Bush on December 20, 2006.1

A. Organization and Objectives

The law appoints the Assistant Secretary of 

Labor for Employment and Training (ETA) as 

the chair of the Task Force, and names the Secretary or Administrator of the following Federal 

departments and agencies to membership on 

this Task Force: 

Department of Commerce

Department of Defense

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of Homeland Security

Department of Labor

Department of Transportation

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

National Science Foundation

In addition, two members are to be appointed 

by the President. The members appointed come 

from the President’s Council of Economic Advi-
2

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

2 See Appendix B.

labor to focus on solutions and recommendations for future actions. 

Throughout the first year of the Task Force 

members held conversations with industry 

workforce experts as well as aerospace and 

STEM education experts, and catalogued 

information on many of the public and private 

investments available to help address the need 

for skilled workers in aerospace. The results of 

these discussions and data were presented and 

summarized at a roundtable hosted by the Task 

Force in October, 2007.2 Over 160 individuals 

representing industry, education at all levels, 

federal agencies, and communities where aerospace has a significant impact on the economy 

met to identify short and long term solutions 

and validate key recommendations proposed by 

the Task Force.

This report contains the findings and recommendations from the Interagency Aerospace 

Revitalization Task Force’s first year of activity, 

and is being transmitted to relevant Congressional committees as required under law, as well 

as to senior officials in the executive branch. The 

report will also be shared widely with industry, 

academia, State and local governments, the 

public workforce system, and others. Section 

II provides background and discussion of the 

aerospace workforce challenges validated by 

the Task Force. Section III includes strategies 

that the Task Force intends to pursue to address 

these challenges.

dates into actionable strategies for aerospace 

workforce recruitment, training, and cultivation. To carry out these legislative mandates, 

the Chair of the newly established Task Force 

quickly moved to communicate the requirement 

that member departments and agencies provide 

a designee as required by law, prior to March 

20, 2007, and to convene the Task Force for an 

initial meeting on April 20, 2007. 

During this initial meeting, all members agreed 

to recognize and build upon the work that had 

been accomplished by the Commission on the 

Future of the United States Aerospace Industry 

in 2002, as well as the work of an ad hoc Aerospace Workforce Interagency Work Group that 

ETA had convened as a result of that Commission. This Work Group published an inventory 

of its member agencies’ Federal investments in 

aerospace and STEM workforce related activities 

(available at www.workforce3one.org), which 

provided substantial information the Task Force 

used to prioritize areas for action. The Task 

Force also recognized the value of a series of 

discussions with industry leaders held by the 

Chair on the high-priority workforce challenges 

currently facing the industry as part of the High 

Growth Job Training Initiative. 

The Task Force has made it a priority to develop an actionable strategic plan to carry out 

its efforts. One of the first steps in building this 

plan was to confirm and update information on 

the workforce challenges facing the aerospace 

industry, and then to network with industry, 

educators, public sector partners, and organized 
3

February 2008

3 National Aeronautics Research & Development Policy: http://www.ostp.gov/html/PressReleaseNationalAeronauticsResearchDevleopmentPolicy12-20-2006.pdf

principle of this policy is that the United 

States should continue to possess, rely on, and 

develop its world-class aeronautics workforce.3 

2007

Task Force Convenes

April 2, 2007

Industry Discussion: The Chair convened a 

discussion with aerospace industry workforce 

experts regarding the Interagency Aerospace 

Revitalization Task Force on April 2, 2007, 

and engaged in an important dialogue on the 

unique workforce challenges currently facing 

the aerospace industry. While the business 

environment has improved over the past 5 

years, the aerospace workforce landscape has 

not changed appreciably since the critical 

workforce challenges were identified in the 

Final Report of the Commission on the 

Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry in 

November 2002.

April 20, 2007

Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force First Meeting: The Task Force convened 

a quorum on April 20, 2007 to discuss the 

group’s mission and recent conversations 

with industry leaders regarding the highpriority workforce challenges previously 

identified in the November 2002 report and 

those currently facing the aerospace industry. 

June 22, 2007

Education Discussion: The Chair convened 

aerospace and STEM education experts to 

B. Chronology of Activities

November 2002

Final Report of the Commission on the Future 

of the United States Aerospace Industry

2004-2005

Ad Hoc Interagency Aerospace Working 

Group: The Employment & Training 

Administration worked with an ad hoc 

committee to begin coordinating aerospace 

workforce resources across federal agencies. 

December 20, 2006

Task Force Becomes Official: On December 

20, 2006, President Bush signed legislation 

to establish an “Interagency Aerospace 

Revitalization Task Force” that is directed to 

develop a strategy for aerospace workforce 

development. This Act (Public Law 109-420), 

appoints the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Employment and Training (ETA) to serve as 

the chair of this eleven member Task Force, 

and directs the Secretary or Administrator to 

appoint a member to this Task Force, along 

with two designees from the White House.

Executive Order signed on Aeronautics R&D 

Policy: The order was accompanied by the 

release of a supporting Policy document 

from the National Science and Technology 

Council, with the goal of advancing U.S. 

technological leadership in aeronautics by 

fostering a vibrant and dynamic aeronautics 

R&D community that includes government, 

industry, and academia. One guiding 
4

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

4Aerospace States Association: http://www.aerostates.org/

5 See Appendix B.

6 2007 Year-End Review and 2008 Forecast, Aerospace Industries Association – An Analysis, AIA Aerospace Research Center. p 1-2 

(November 2007), http://www.aia-aerospace.org/pdf/yearender07_analysis.pdf

discuss the changing educational landscape 

and issues facing the aerospace industry. 

During the meeting, the Chair engaged the 

group in a dialogue to share information 

about existing efforts that may inform the 

Task Force and identified challenges and best 

practices in STEM and aerospace education 

and training.

June 25, 2007

Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force Second Meeting: The Chair provided 

an update on the Task Force activities and 

shared recent discussions with leaders 

from academia regarding the high-priority 

challenges currently facing the aerospace 

industry. The Task Force spent considerable 

time reviewing a draft implementation plan 

that captured action items discussed during 

the first meeting of the group. Finally, the 

Task Force reviewed a proposal from the 

Employment and Training Administration 

(ETA) and the Aerospace Industries 

Association (AIA) to develop a roundtable 

session on STEM education to be held in 

mid-October. 

October 18, 2007

Aerospace Roundtable: The Interagency 

Aerospace Revitalization Task Force hosted 

a roundtable in partnership with ETA, the 

U.S. Department of Education, the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA), and the Aerospace Industries 

Association (AIA). This daylong session 

was designed to build on the Task Force 

implementation plan recommendations 

to raise awareness and drive the national 

dialogue on aerospace and STEM 

education and workforce needs. The session 

included federal partners, Aerospace 

States Association members4, key industry 

representatives, leading educational 

institutions, representatives from regions 

of the country that are economically 

driven by aerospace, media members, and 

representatives of the youth pipeline.5

November 8, 2007

Final Task Force Meeting to Review 

Recommendations and Report to Congress

January 2008

Report Issued to Congress

II. The Industry and Its

Workforce Challenges

The aerospace industry is a powerful force within the U.S. economy and is one of the nation’s 

most competitive industries in the global marketplace. Total sales for aerospace and defense 

products and services in 2007 were a record 

$198.8 billion, with total combined orders for all 

sectors rising by 9 percent and an order backlog 

of $360 billion.6 The aerospace industry’s record 

performance is forecast to provide a $56.6 billion positive trade balance in 2007, accounting 

for the largest trade surplus of any U.S. manu-
5

February 2008

7 2007 Year-End Review. AIA. p 3.

8 National Summary (U.S. Flights), Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. Department of Transportation. 

http://www.transtats.bts.gov/

9 GAMA Annual Industry Review & 2007 Outlook. p 2. http://www.gama.aero/events/air/dloads/2007GAMAAnnualIndustryRevi

ew.pdf

10 Aerospace Commission, p 1-3.

facturing sector during an era of persistent trade 

deficits.7 In 2007, 676 million passengers relied 

on U.S. commercial air transportation, with 

over 22.2 billion pounds of freight transported 

by air.8 Meanwhile, 224,000 general aviation 

aircraft flew over 27 million hours, carrying over 

166 million passengers.9 Aerospace capabilities 

have enabled e-commerce to flourish with overnight mail and parcel delivery, and just-in-time 

manufacturing, with virtually every other sector 

of the economy, public and private, relying on 

its effective functioning.

However, the industry finds itself with a graying 

workforce skilled in science, engineering and 

manufacturing. New entrants to the industry 

have dropped to historical lows as the major 

manufacturers have consolidated, reflecting 

concern about the long-term growth potential 

of the industry. Compounding these industryspecific issues are growing concerns across the 

country that American students are not exiting 

the education system in sufficient numbers and 

equipped with the math, science, and technological skills needed to sustain a competitive 

edge in these industries. This section of the 

report highlights the importance of the industry 

to our economy and summarizes the primary 

workforce challenges the industry faces.

A. About the Industry

The aerospace industry is critical to the national 

and economic security of our nation and also 

helps to improve America’s position in the global 

marketplace. Other sectors depend on aerospace 

businesses, supplier networks, the downstream 

economic impact of products, and related 

disciplines for technical skills and technologies 

that are critical elements of our security infrastructure. These diverse sectors of the aerospace 

industry include:

Civil

Air (e.g., air traffic management system, 

safety regulation, accident investigation, 

environmental permitting, noise and 

emission standards)

Space (e.g., weather satellites, airand space-based Earth monitoring, 

International Space Station, Space Shuttle, 

Hubble Space Telescope, robotic missions 

to the planets

Commercial

Air (e.g., aircraft manufacturing, air carriers, 

general aviation, airport operations)

Space (e.g., space launch, launch 

vehicles and satellite manufacturing, 

telecommunications, remote sensing)

National Security10

Defense

Air (e.g., combat aircraft, airlift, 

unmanned aerial vehicles, guided 

missiles)

Space (e.g., space launch, 

communications, navigation and 

reconnaissance satellites)

Intelligence (e.g., air- and space-based 

communications, reconnaissance)
6

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

11 U.S. Census Bureau, “Projected Population of the United States by Age and Sex: 2000 to 2050” (Washington, DC, 2007), http://

www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimproj/.

12 MIT Labor Aerospace Research Agenda. http://web.mit.edu/ctpid/lara/

13 California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan 2007-2010. p 6. http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/images/pdfs/ 

strat-plan-2007.pdf

14 2003 Aviation/Aerospace Assessment, Florida Workforce. p 2. http://www.workforceflorida.com/bcs/councils/aaa2.pdf

15 Texas Aerospace and Aviation Industry Report, October 2005. p 8-9 http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/ecodev/bidc/industryreports/files/2005txaerorpt.pdf

16 2006 Annual Report, Ball Corporation. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/11/115234/reports/2006annual_10k.pdf

The workforce of each sector reflects a wide array of talents and competencies, from researchers and engineers to technicians, mechanics, and 

skilled machinists. 

AIA projects industry sales in 2007 totaled $53.3 

billion for civil aircraft, $54.8 billion for military 

aircraft, $17.7 billion for missiles, and $605 million in space sales. Robust growth is anticipated 

again in 2008, with projections that industry 

sales will grow 6 percent, or $12 billion, driven 

largely by increase deliveries of civil aircraft, 

engines, and related parts and components.11

The importance of the aerospace industry to the 

economy and the public is best summarized the 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 

Labor Aerospace Research Agenda and Lean 

Aerospace Initiative:12

It enables the global movement of people 

and goods;

It enables the global acquisition and 

dissemination of information and data;

It advances national security interests; and,

It provides a source of innovation by 

pushing the boundaries of exploration and 

inspiration.

Not only is the industry of national importance, 

it is of particular importance in certain states’ and 

specific communities’ economies. For example: 

The California Space Authority 2007 

Space Enterprise Strategic Plan states that 

California represents 19 percent of the 

global space market, accounting for $21.7 

billion of global space revenues.13

Florida’s non military aviation and 

aerospace industries comprised almost 

1,600 companies, employed almost 90,000 

people and generated almost $50 billion in 

direct sales, according to the 2003 Aviation/

Aerospace Assessment. 

Texas is home to three major airlines, 

two of the world’s busiest airports, the 

United Space Alliance, the Johnson Space 

Center, and business operations for most 

global aerospace and defense companies. 

Including air transportation and related 

services, the state-level aerospace workforce 

in Texas is in excess of 137,000 workers. 

Forecasts and performance statistics from aerospace companies indicate increased demand for 

products and services, which will increase the 

need for a pipeline of skilled workers. For example:

Ball Aerospace develops spacecraft, sensors 

and instruments, radio frequency systems 

and other advanced technologies for the 

civil, commercial and national security 

aerospace markets, with a contract backlog 

of $886 million at the close of 2006 16

The Boeing Company forecasts commercial 

airplane revenue growth in 2008 of 

approximately $35 billion, with airplane 
7

February 2008

17 Third Quarter Earnings Statement, The Boeing Company. October 2007. http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/

q4/071024a_nr.pdf

18 Lockheed Martin Third Quarter 2007 Results. October 2007. http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2007/1023h

q_3Q2007Earnings.html

19 Aerospace Related Employment, 1993-2007. AIA. http://www.aia-aerospace.org/stats/yr_ender/tables/2007/table9-ye07.pdf

20 BLS Report on Engineers, 2006. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm

21 Aerospace Commission, p 8-4

deliveries for the year sold-out and the 

number of units produced expected to be 

between 480 and 490.17

Lockheed Martin Corporation reported 

2007 Year-to-Date increased sales and 

operating profits across all four operating 

business segments of the corporation, 

including:18

Aeronautics net sales of $9.3 billion and 

operating profits that increased 30 percent 

comparable to the same nine-month period 

in 2006.

Electronic Systems net sales of $8.3 billion 

and operating profits that increased 17 

percent comparable to the same ninemonth period in 2006.

Information Systems & Global Services net 

sales of $7.4 billion and operating profits 

that increased 17 percent comparable to the 

same nine-month period in 2006.

Space Systems net sales of $6.1 billion and 

operating profits that increased 11 percent 

comparable to the same nine-month period 

in 2006.

Aerospace employment has rebounded from the 

decline that saw the industry reach its lowest 

workforce levels since the Great Depression, 

but the industry still totals fewer workers than 

before 9/11. The AIA 2007 end of year review 

recently reported that employment will continue 

to increase for the fourth consecutive year, with 

the total workforce averaging over 637,000 for 

the year. The increase in production workers 

represented nearly 26,000, but the total industry 

employment gain was only 7,700, indicating a 

decline in the non-production workforce.19 The 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 90,000 aerospace engineers employed in the United States 

during 2006, and projects a 10 percent growth 

in employment over the next decade, a rate that 

is average for all occupations.20

While the aerospace industry is critical to the 

prosperity of the American economy, its vitality 

is largely dependent on ensuring that a qualified 

workforce is able to carry out its business functions. In order to design and implement strategies to support the recruitment and training of 

a qualified workforce, the Interagency Aerospace 

Revitalization Task Force has confirmed that the 

following three critical workforce challenges 

remain a priority for the industry including:

Recruiting and Retaining Talent

The Skills Challenge and the Importance of 

STEM Education 

Image of the Industry

B. Recruiting and Retaining 

Talent

The Commission on the Future of the United 

States Aerospace Industry reported in 2002 

from a variety of sources that the aerospace 

workforce is “aging” and that approximately 26 

percent of aerospace workers would be eligible 

to retire by 2008.21 A 2007 study by Aviation 
8

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

22 Aviation Week 2007 Workforce Study. www.aviationweek.com/workforce/awst08202007_01.htm

23 Workforce at a Crossroads, March 2007: http://www.usra.edu/symposium/presentations/USRA-workforce-2007-3-30.pdf

24 MIT Lean Aerospace Research Agenda.

25 The Job Seeker’s Report Card on the Aerospace Industry: A College Student’s Perspective, (MIT, 2001)

26 MIT Lean Aerospace Research Agenda.

Week found that by mid-year, there were no 

fewer that 40,000 job openings in the aerospace 

industry. The five most difficult disciplines to fill, 

according to the study, are engineering-related 

positions in avionics, electro-optics, propulsion 

and power systems, complex enterprise architecture and integration software, and systems 

engineering. These job openings were sustained 

by the current industry revenue growth of 6 

percent, paired with voluntary attrition and an 

industry retirement rate of 2 percent. With the 

average age of workers within the industry at 45, 

concerns persist that the aging workforce will 

begin to retire in much greater numbers over the 

next 3-5 years.22 Voluntary attrition coupled with 

the retirement of many senior workers would 

result in a disastrous loss of intellectual capital 

for the industry.

While evidence of significant numbers of 

retirements taking place is not yet apparent, 

it is the preparation for potential retirements, 

the so-called “demographic cliff,” that must be 

addressed. The industry also cites challenges to 

retaining the workforce that is not currently eligible for retirement. A recent National Defense 

Industrial Association (NDIA)-AIA workforce 

study found that entry-level workers left jobs 

in aerospace because they found other careers 

more stimulating.23

Surveys indicate feelings of disillusionment 

among the industry’s personnel, whether they 

are production/technical workers, scientists, or 

engineers. Eighty (80) percent of nearly 500 U. 

S. aerospace engineers, managers, production 

workers, and technical specialists responded to 

a survey indicating that they would not recommend aerospace careers to their children.24

Engineering students have given the aerospace 

industry low ratings for its physical work facilities, exciting and meaningful tasks, opportunities for professional development and growth, 

and supportive and encouraging management.25

MIT found that recruiting the new aerospace 

industry pipeline of workers is difficult. Traditionally, innovation has been among the biggest 

draws for prospective and current technical 

employees. However, the industry ranks last 

among the number of patents per employee.26

Finding ways to attract and retain employees by 

providing innovation opportunities may be a 

key challenge to the industry.

Another concern that is consistently raised by 

aerospace employers is the need for high level 

security clearances for many of the industry’s 

employees as well as the existing lengthy and 

cumbersome clearance process. The Task Force 

understands that every year, tens of thousands 

of industry personnel are subject to security 

clearances and renewals in order to perform 

many critical national security services for 

government customers, a key requirement for 

national security-related occupations is U.S. 

citizenship. Another key requirement is that 

individuals be free from “disqualifying life 

events” such as current drug use, arrest, or other 

such events, that could prohibit employment 
9

February 2008

27 National Security Requirements of the United States Demand Reformation of the Security Clearance Process: The Need for a 21st 

Century Solution. http://www.ndia.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Advocacy/PDFs27/Security%20Clearance%20Reform%20Coalition%20White%20Paper%20-%202006%20ver%203%20-%20FINAL.pdf

28 Flexibility for Employees Key to U.S. Aerospace & Defense Future. Aviation Week. August 2007. www.aviationweek.com/workforce/awst08202007_03.htm

29 Generation & Gender In the Workplace, American Business Collaboration. http://www.abcdependentcare.com/docs/ABC-generation-gender-workplace.pdf

30 Bureau of Labor Statistics. www.bls.gov

in national security-related occupations.27 Both 

of these requirements potentially limit the pool 

of recruits. For example, many young people 

remove themselves from industry consideration 

because they are unaware of the necessity and 

rigor of security screenings and clearances prior 

to employment in national security related occupations. Promoting the scrutiny that national 

security applicants will be under earlier in the 

talent development cycle will help the interested and potential applicants avoid potentially 

disqualifying events or activities that would 

prohibit their employment in national security 

positions requiring a clearance. 

Another challenge is the lack of diversity within 

the current workforce and the industry’s need 

to consider attracting and retaining nontraditional labor pools, including women and 

minorities. A 2007 Aviation Week survey notes 

that while women comprise 26 percent of the 

aerospace workforce, they only comprise 10 

percent of engineers and 17 percent of program 

managers. Meanwhile, minorities comprise 25 

percent of the aerospace workforce, but only 

constitute 18 percent of engineers and 10 percent of program managers.28

In addition to this data, the Task Force has 

heard the following points regarding attracting 

and retaining talent through engagement with 

experts from industry and academia:

The Task Force received substantial input 

regarding generational differences and 

the potential impacts on the aerospace 

industry, as it transitions from a workforce 

dominated by Baby Boomers to a workforce 

where Generations X and Y play an 

increasingly larger role.

While Baby Boomers have traditionally 

been characterized as “work-centric”, 

Generations X and Y are characterized as 

“family-centric” or “dual-centric.”29

C. The Skills Challenge and the 

Importance of STEM Education 

There are various types of jobs within the aerospace industry including jobs that are part of the 

Aircraft and Spacecraft Design and Manufacturing Professions, such as Aerospace Engineers, 

Engineering Technicians, Machinists, Tool and 

Die Makers, Technical Writers, Blue Collar 

Supervisors, and Managers and Executives. The 

industry also employs individuals in the Airline 

and Transportation Infrastructure Professions, 

including Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots, Flight 

Engineers and Aircraft Mechanics and Service 

Technicians.30 While these professions require a 

great diversity of skills, they all have a primary 

emphasis on STEM competencies, and there is 

significant concern that students who are participating in the K-12, postsecondary, apprenticeships, and/or career and technical education 

are not adequately prepared for employment in 

STEM careers.
10

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

31 Engagement, Capacity, and Continuity: A Trilogy for Success. September 2004. http://www.smm.org/static/about/ecc_paper.pdf

32 http://www.smm.org/static/about/ecc_paper.pdf

33 Higher Education: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Trends and the Role of Federal Programs, p. 6. GAO-06-

702T. May 2006.

34 NSF Science and Engineering Indicators, 2006. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/append/c2/at02-06.xls

35 First-Time, Full-Time Graduate Student Enrollment in Science and Engineering Increases in 2006, Especially Among Foreign 

Students. National Science Foundation. December 2007. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08302/

Over the past decade, overall science and mathematics achievement have been relatively stable 

through the eight grade, but have been on the 

decline for 12th graders. Currently, fewer than 

5 percent of students score at advanced levels in 

mathematics and science. While there have been 

major increases in the percentage of students 

taking advanced courses necessary to continue 

in mathematics and the sciences, still fewer 

than 30 percent take physics and fewer than 25 

percent take pre-calculus.31

While studies vary about the teacher characteristics that are highly correlated to student 

achievement, there is general agreement that 

teacher quality has an impact on student 

achievement. This appears to be particularly 

true in mathematics, where the students of 

teachers with strong mathematics backgrounds 

have higher standardized test scores than do 

other students. Teachers in highly effective 

elementary schools have been found to be 

more apt to possess quality indicators such as 

advanced degrees, higher attendance and more 

college-level mathematics and science courses.32

The industry is also challenged in ensuring that 

an adequate supply of individuals with higher 

educational achievement is available to work. A 

2006 report by the Government Accountability 

Office found that while the total number of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions has 

increased over the past decade, the proportion 

of students obtaining degrees in STEM fields has 

fallen, from 32 percent of all degrees awarded 

in 1995 to 27 percent of all degrees awarded in 

2004.33 The Science and Engineering Indicators 

published by the National Science Foundation 

indicate that among students intending to major 

in STEM fields, the percentage increase over 

the past decade for all science and engineering 

disciplines is less than one-half of one percent, 

and for mathematics/statistics the enrollment 

levels are flat.34 In addition, while overall graduate enrollments in science and engineering have 

increased over the past decade, this growth is 

largely attributable to an increase in foreignborn student enrollments.35 However, the aerospace industry continues to suffer as many of 

these students choose to return to their country 

of origin or cannot obtain appropriate security 

clearance for employment opportunities for 

which they otherwise qualify.

Task Force discussions held throughout the 

year and at the Roundtable event confirmed 

these challenges. Experts from industry and 

academia point to the following difficulties that 

restrict the size and the overall availability of 

the potential workforce pipeline of talent for the 

aerospace industry:

Industry is disconnected from influencing 

the curriculum taught to students, from 

junior high school students to Master’s 

degree candidates. 

Aerospace employers have a bias that 

traditional education pathways are the most 

desirable for entry into the industry. There 
11

February 2008

36 Aerospace Commission, p 8-10

needs to be a stronger focus on credentials 

based on industry identified competencies, 

as well as alternative education and training 

pathways, such as those available through 

apprenticeships and career and technical 

education. Many students are getting 

interested in aerospace too late (11-12th 

grade versus 7-8th grade) and have 

difficulty catching up in math and science 

as a result. Coursework is not always linked 

to aerospace careers and the potential these 

careers present.

Skill and academic gaps in student 

performance exist in STEM education and 

in teacher preparation for teaching these 

disciplines. Teacher preparation in math 

and science is lagging behind the capacity 

to educate in STEM fields.

Participants noted anecdotal evidence that 

students perform better under the tutelage 

of teachers who have a degree in science 

and/or math rather than in education as 

support for teacher preparation that include 

both science and math competencies as well 

as education competencies to maximize 

results. This appears to be particularly 

true in high school mathematics, where 

the students of teachers with strong 

mathematics backgrounds tend to achieve 

at higher levels than do other students.

Current technology is not being adapted 

by many educators for teaching STEM 

academics and skills. Teachers need to 

incorporate up to date technology or 

use alternate learning methodologies for 

tech-savvy students who learn differently 

than prior generations of students. There 

is increasing support showing applied 

learning can lead to higher academic 

performance, although many educators 

are not using applied learning techniques 

with business and industry developed 

curriculum. 

D. Image of the Industry 

The aerospace industry was once the employer 

of choice for the “best and brightest” technically 

trained workers. However, now the industry 

finds that it presents a negative image to future 

workers. Some students believe that math and 

science careers are out of reach and beyond 

their capabilities. Other students view the 

boom-and-bust cyclicality of the industry as an 

impediment that affects recruitment and interest in aerospace. As a result, the industry has 

been more likely to look to short-term solutions 

rather than long-term investments. The Aerospace Commission noted that many students are 

discouraged from entering the industry because 

of job instability. While recent data are promising regarding potential earnings in the industry, 

there is still an image issue that the industry 

needs to address in order to recruit new talent.36

The Task Force has gathered the following information regarding challenges with the image of 

the industry:

While aerospace program enrollments are at 

full capacity, recruitment remains the most 

challenging problem, and graduate retention 

in aerospace careers is ultimately low as 

workers go elsewhere because they fail to 

see where or how they fit in the industry. 

Many students, teachers, counselors, 

and parents do not identify aerospace 

with other “high-tech” industries 
12

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

and are unaware of the wide array of 

career opportunities, skills needed, and 

education pathways to gain access to those 

opportunities. There is a strong need for 

enhanced career awareness activities at all 

levels of education focusing on educators, 

counselors, parents, and students.

The Task Force is committed to partnering with 

industry, academia, labor-management organizations and other interested stakeholders to 

address these challenges. The Task Force has 

utilized NASA’s framework to design strategies 

that inspire, engage, educate and/or employ to 

implement solutions to resolve these challenges. 

These strategies are discussed in Section III. 

III. Task Force Strategies

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force developed three targeted strategies to 

address the most significant challenges related 

to ensuring a skilled aerospace workforce over 

the course of the year that relies on comprehensive research and input from the key strategic 

partners that are critical to moving to solutions 

to the challenges identified. Addressing these 

issues requires a comprehensive and systemic 

approach that includes both short term and long 

term strategies. These strategies will ensure that 

strategic partners are at the table continuously 

to not only address the issues identified today, 

but also focus on the changing workforce needs 

of the aerospace industry over time. It will be 

important to continuously reassess workforce 

challenges and develop new solutions as skill 

needs change with innovation and technology 

and the global economy shifts and changes with 

new market players.

The strategies presented below are designed to 

directly address specific issues as well as establish a framework to enable a long term approach 

to sustained collaboration. These include:

Sustained Collaboration: Developing a longterm Federal inter-agency collaboration in 

support of the aerospace industry to address 

critical workforce challenges;

Integrated Investments for Aerospace 

Workforce Solutions: Developing an 

integrated, cross-agency and public/private 

investment strategy; and

Knowledge sharing, inventory of model 

solutions, and dissemination of results:

Developing an industry cyber-community 

to share model strategies, products, tools, 

and information.

Suggestions for the possible commitment of 

any federal agency’s resources to the investment 

strategy will be considered in a series of interagency planning meetings to begin in the first 

quarter of calendar year 2008. Below is a more 

in depth description of the strategic approach in 

each area.

A. Sustained Collaboration

The Task Force should ensure the availability 

of resources, tools, and guidance developed 

under its leadership and direction beyond 

the statutory sunset established by law and 

address critical workforce challenges such as 

security clearance.

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force recognizes it was established to provide 

the Federal stewardship necessary for the aerospace industry as it advances workforce revitalization efforts. The Task Force also understands 
13

February 2008

that the Federal government serves as a key 

customer as well as a partner to the aerospace 

industry and the need for guidance, resources, 

and tools will continue beyond the statutory 

sunset of the Task Force. The Task Force will 

address this need by exploring the establishment of a permanent collaboration mechanism 

for Executive Branch departments and agencies to contribute to and manage the tools and 

resources developed at the direction of the 

Task Force. The Task Force believes the current structure established under law aligns with 

recent interagency recommendations, including 

the call from the National Academy of Sciences 

for government, academia, and industry to work 

together in development of effective workforce 

“ecosystems.” Suggestions for the possible commitment of any federal agency’s resources to 

this strategy will be considered in a series of 

interagency planning meetings to begin in the 

first quarter of calendar year 2008.

The Task Force’s first critical action item that 

requires federal agency collaboration is security 

clearance. There are two key, but distinct issues 

related to security clearances: clearable talent 

and clearance process and portability. Every 

year, tens of thousands of industry personnel are 

subject to security clearance and renewal processes in order to perform many critical national 

security services for government customers. A 

key requirement, in most instances, for national 

security-related occupations is U.S. citizenship. 

Another key requirement is that individuals be 

free from “disqualifying life events” such as current drug abuse, arrest, or other such events, that 

could prohibit employment in national securityrelated occupations. The youth pipeline is often 

unaware of the necessity and rigor of security 

screenings and clearances prior to employment 

in national security-related occupations.

The Task Force will address this issue by exploring ways to promote an understanding of 

security clearance requirements among youth 

entering the pipeline early in the training and 

recruitment process, including working with the 

public education system to counsel students. By 

promoting the scrutiny that national security 

applicants will be under earlier in the talent 

development cycle, interested and potential applicants will be able to avoid potentially disqualifying events or activities that would prohibit 

their employment in national security positions 

requiring a clearance.

As for clearance process and portability concerns, the current process for industry to obtain 

an initial security clearance or periodic reinvestigation is to provide all required department or 

agency-specific forms to the respective security 

office. The agency then forwards the request to 

the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to 

conduct the actual background investigation. 

OPM is also responsible for all of the industry’s 

requests as well as the clearances of nearly all 

other federal agencies. This current system of 

channeling all requests through OPM often 

results in a backlog of up to one year or longer 

and produces security clearances that are not 

portable between departments and agencies.

The Task Force will address this issue by exploring how the interagency partners can streamline 

the background investigation process, while 

still meeting the needs and requirements for 

the national security workforce. The Task Force 

recognizes that the post-9/11 environment has 

increased the requirements for background 

investigations; scarce resources such as time, 

funding, and personnel may create difficulties 

in expeditiously completing the background 

investigation process. However, the Task Force 
14

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

37 U.S. Census Bureau, “Projected Population of the United States by Age and Sex: 2000 to 2050” (Washington, DC, 2007), http://

www.census.gov/ipc/www/usinterimproj/.

also understands that delays in the clearance of 

talent can ultimately stifle industry innovation 

and cooperation, as personnel are unable to 

contribute to providing solutions across agencies or departments without having appropriately cleared personnel. Delays in obtaining or 

transferring security clearances can ultimately 

increase costs to the federal government by impeding the use of the most qualified personnel 

on critical programs, thus potentially delaying 

the delivery or implementation of industry 

solutions. Recommendations for how the Task 

Force might explore streamlining background 

investigation processes will be developed in a 

series of interagency planning meetings to begin 

in the first quarter of calendar year 2008.

B. Integrated Investments 

for Aerospace Workforce 

Solutions

The Task Force should develop a coordinated 

approach to identify, invest, and promote 

model strategies in aerospace workforce 

and STEM education solutions. These 

strategies should include the provision of 

comprehensive technical assistance tools that 

provide guidance in replicating best practices 

of existing aerospace employment centers 

(see Appendix C).

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force will develop a cross-agency and public/

private investment strategy designed to fund 

model strategies that fully leverage the assets 

and resources of all participating agencies. A 

joint communication plan will be developed 

as part of the strategy to highlight upcoming investment opportunities. A broad-based 

dissemination plan will also be developed to 

distribute content and materials through a Task 

Force designed cyber-community. To maximize 

inter-agency cooperation, Task Force member 

agencies will align new and existing investment 

strategies with aerospace industry policies and 

objectives. No investment strategy developed 

by the Task Force will negatively impact any 

participating agency’s ability to meet its existing 

education, human resource, or other obligations

Investment strategies related to education and 

training will be in two key areas. The first focus 

will be on building a stronger pipeline of skilled 

workers through more traditional education 

pathways. These pathways will concentrate 

heavily on industry driven STEM curricula and 

use “pull” strategies such as dual enrollment and 

strategies designed to provide applied learning 

opportunities related to the aerospace industry. 

A second focus will be on more non-traditional 

education pathways such as models that support 

apprenticeship and adult workers transitioning 

to the aerospace industry. 

New investments will build on and leverage 

current assets within each Task Force member 

agency where feasible. These assets will also be 

inventoried and featured as part of the cybercommunity. Examples of Current Investments & 

Activities:

ETA began an initiative in 2006 called 

Workforce Innovation in Regional 

Economic Development (WIRED)37

to leverage innovation assets, integrate 
15

February 2008

38 WIRED Conceptual Framework: http://www.doleta.gov/wired/tools/

39 Report of the Academic Competitiveness Council: http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/competitiveness/acc-mathscience/report.pdf

40 States’ Career Clusters Initiative: http://www.careerclusters.org/index.php

economic and workforce development 

activities, and demonstrates that talent 

development can drive economic 

transformation in regional economies 

across the United States.38 Several of these 

regions, Metro Denver, the California 

Innovation Corridor, Florida’s Great 

Northwest, the Tri-State Delaware 

Valley, and the Alabama/Tennessee 

Valley Innovation Alliance have targeted 

aerospace as the focus of their regional 

economic growth strategies. These 

regions are in the process of building 

regional partnerships to invest in talent 

development strategies. The Task Force 

can assist these regions by ensuring that 

federal resources and other available private 

resources are targeted to complement one 

another. However, there are other distinct 

regions across the country where the 

aerospace industry is an economic driver, 

but too few of those regions engage in 

local and/or regional talent development 

strategies. They focus recruitment efforts 

on relocating skilled workers from other 

regions instead of building a local skilled 

workforce. The Task Force will identify, 

develop, and promote technical assistance 

models and tools to replicate best practices 

and expand strategic solutions for current 

and prospective aerospace employment 

centers or regional economies. These tools 

will enable regional economies to evaluate 

their existing assets, identify education and 

training gaps, and replicate best practices 

by leveraging existing expertise. 

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 

established an Academic Competitiveness 

Council (ACC)39 to be led by the Secretary 

of Education. Officials from Federal 

agencies with education programs 

aimed at improving America’s STEM 

competitiveness were asked to conduct an 

inventory of their investments through this 

effort. The Task Force recommends that 

departments and agencies utilize the ACC’s 

STEM education goals and metrics for 

K-12 education, Undergraduate education, 

Graduate and Postgraduate education, 

and Informal Education and Outreach, to 

implement the ACC guidance and focus the 

attention of agency investments.

The Department of Education’s Career 

Cluster Initiative40 provides a way for 

schools to organize instruction and student 

experiences around sixteen broad categories 

that encompass virtually all occupations 

from entry through professional levels. 

Partnerships involving states, schools, 

educators, employers, industry groups, and 

other stakeholders are creating curriculum 

guidelines, academic and technical 

standards, assessments, and professional 

development materials for sixteen career 

clusters. Two examples of these clusters 

related to the work of the Task Force are 

Manufacturing and STEM. The Task Force 

can work with the partnerships that are 

designing the curriculum for these clusters 

to influence the skills taught, teaching 

methodologies and information given 

to students about the industry and its 

potential career pathways.

The Department of Defense (DOD) 

is authorized to support education 

enrichment activities across the continuum 

of education to provide for an educated and 
16

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

prepared STEM workforce. The Task Force 

will work with DOD to leverage these assets 

and interests in communities across the 

United States to ensure a pipeline of skilled 

and clearable future workers.

Undergraduate Laboratory Research 

Internships at the Department of Energy 

(DOE) have been established to enhance the 

nation’s supply of proficient scientists and 

engineers, as well as proficient K-12 science, 

mathematics, and technology teachers. The 

program provides mentoring opportunities 

for undergraduate students by scientists and 

engineers at DOE National Labs.

These examples are just a highlight of ongoing 

areas for action. The Task Force will continue 

to emphasize the need to ensure that resources 

are linked and leveraged at the implementation 

phase, and inform changes in these program 

areas based on lessons learned through a 

coordinated approach to implementation. This 

information serves as part of an inventory of 

assets that will be used by stakeholders in major 

aerospace centers around the United States 

(See Appendix C) to provide STEM education 

and training solutions through regional economic development strategies. This inventory 

is only one example of the type of information 

that would be posted and disseminated via the 

proposed cyber-community. Recommendations 

for how participating agencies might contribute 

to this effort will be developed in cross-agency 

planning meetings to be held during the first 

quarter of 2008.

C. Knowledge Sharing, Inventory 

of Model Solutions and 

Dissemination of Results

The Task Force should ensure that 

information from its partners and other 

public/private sources is compiled and 

promoted in a consistent manner for 

multiple audiences. Qualitative and 

quantitative information should be made 

available for specific programs and resources 

whenever possible.

The Task Force plans to work with its industry 

partners to develop an Internet-based resource 

that serves as a central, interactive tool for sharing information with diverse communities that 

utilizes a myriad of currently available resources 

and activities that describes lessons learned on 

the ground about what works and what does 

not work. This tool would serve to promote 

promising workforce solutions such as STEM 

education and training, outreach and mentoring, and industry recruitment, across public and 

private sources, to meet the needs of multiple 

audiences. The Task Force envisions an interactive site that features a wide array of content 

and takes advantage of new technologies for 

communication and that facilitates peer to peer 

learning, communities of practice around key 

issue areas, and ongoing discussion related to 

leverage points sometimes outside the purview 

of the Task Force.

This tool would also serve as an organizational 

vehicle where all stakeholders have clearly 

articulated roles and responsibilities: Federal, 

State, and local governments would invest in the 

infrastructure, industry would take leadership 

to define skill competencies and update content, and educators would share curricula and 
17

February 2008

41 NASA Education Fact Sheet: http://education.nasa.gov/about/factsheet/index.html

42 State Scholars Initiative: http://www.wiche.edu/statescholars/

43 Air Force Jr. ROTC Program: http://www.afoats.af.mil/AFJROTC/index.asp

best practices. Recommendations for forming a 

cross-agency team to accomplish this task will 

be developed in a series of planning sessions to 

be held during the first quarter of 2008.

The Task Force has determined that this cybercommunity should be crafted to initially meet 

the needs of, and facilitate collaboration among, 

the following communities:

Professional to Professional: The cybercommunity will contain a clearinghouse of 

public and private investments/solutions 

from across the continuum of education 

that would be updated regularly. This 

content will include available quantifiable 

information (resource dollars and numbers 

trained), provide an understanding of the 

nature of investments or curriculum (type of 

program and use of unique content, people, 

or facilities), and categorize investments 

according to the NASA Education 

framework to Inspire, Engage, Educate, and 

Employ the future aerospace workforce.41

Industry to Government and Academia: The 

cyber-community will provide a platform 

for industry to communicate current and 

predictive workforce needs and professional 

development opportunities to academia to 

inform education/training curricula and 

investments. An example of this is the State 

Scholar Initiative that operates in states 

across the country and utilizes business 

leaders to motivate students to complete 

a rigorous course of study in high school 

to give them a boost in college and their 

careers.42 Communication could include 

industry development and maintenance of 

a competencies framework that details the 

skills needed for the aerospace workforce 

that does not currently exist. The cybercommunity could also serve as a forum 

for the promotion of industry-developed 

consensus standards for certification, 

should they be produced.

Student to Student: The cyber-community 

will develop unique outreach, partnerships, 

and content to target career awareness 

information that inspires and engages 

young candidates. The Task Force 

recognizes the need for a multi-pronged 

marketing/career awareness campaign 

supported by industry and government, 

which includes targeted messaging for 

educators, counselors, parents, and 

most importantly, students. The cybercommunity investment should combine 

electronic and interactive recruiting with 

traditional recruiting methods to “meet the 

youth pipeline where they are,” attract the 

increasingly savvy young candidates the 

industry needs.

Mentors: The cyber-community will 

specifically promote best practices designed 

for mentoring and engaging the talent 

pipeline. An example of this is the U.S. Air 

Force Jr. ROTC43 mentoring program that 

aggressively searches for talent by engaging 

9th grade teachers to identify promising 

students early. Additionally, the Task Force 

recognizes that more needs to be done to 

mentor non-traditional populations for 

this industry. The Task Force understands 

that women, minorities, and disadvantaged 
18

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

youth have not been aggressively pursued 

or mentored for careers in math and 

science. The Task Force recognizes the 

value of industry experts providing 

classroom expertise and mentoring for 

these populations but these individuals 

have difficulty in the transition process 

into the classroom. The Task Force will 

explore promising practices at the State and 

local level in easing this transition into the 

classroom and promote these processes via 

the cyber-community.

Separating Military: The cyber-community 

will provide resources directed specifically 

toward separating military personnel. 

Many individuals of this group possess 

the training and skills necessary to enter 

industry employment or provide education 

and training to the youth pipeline. The Task 

Force has found that the industry does not 

fully utilize the valuable talent produced by 

the U.S. Armed Services upon their return 

to the private sector. These individuals 

possess the core skills needed for careers 

within the industry. These Service men and 

women will be able to pursue promising 

opportunities within the aerospace industry 

or transition into a mentor or educator 

role through education and training 

opportunities promoted by the Task Force.

IV. Strategies Into Action

 for 2008

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force will work throughout the 2008 calendar 

year to implement the strategies and recommendations contained in Section III of this 

report to address the workforce challenges of 

the aerospace industry. The Task Force plans to 

implement the specific strategies included in 

this report through the division of work into 

cross-agency, staff-level project teams. The Task 

Force will convene the project teams in the first 

quarter of 2008 to discuss the conversion of 

strategies into concrete action plans across the 

Task Force member departments and agencies. The agencies that have participated in the 

development of this report are committing to 

work with the task force under the leadership of 

the Department of Labor to explore and identify 

ways to accomplish the goals laid out in the report. No potential commitment of any agency’s 

resources will be made prior to a full and open 

process of planning and agency concurrence.

The Task Force has developed a framework for 

managing the work of implementing the proposed strategies. Recognizing the full Task Force 

will continue to oversee the entire process, the 

framework identifies primary agencies responsible for staffing each of the strategies. Project 

teams will be formed for each strategic area based 

on departmental and agency areas of expertise 

and alignment to the three major strategies:

Sustained Collaboration

Interagency Structure:

Department of Education

Department of Labor

Department of Transportation

Security Clearances:

Department of Defense

Department of Energy

Department of Homeland 

Security

Integrated Investments for Aerospace 

Workforce Solutions

Investment Strategies:
19

February 2008

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

National Science Foundation

Portfolio of Tools:

Department of Commerce

Department of Labor

Knowledge Sharing, Inventorying of Model 

Solutions, and Dissemination of Results 

Cyber-Community

All Members

The Task Force will continue to foster collaboration among Federal departments and 

agencies in an effort to meet the demand for a 

skilled aerospace workforce. This effort saw the 

coordinated establishment of the Task Force 

in 2007, with multiple meetings to convert the 

Task Force mandate into an actionable implementation plan. During 2008, the Task Force 

intends to strengthen its horizontal partnerships 

and deepen vertical collaborations with the 

member departments and agencies in an effort 

to cultivate resources, enhance information, and 

maximize impact.

The Task Force will also continue to develop appropriate partnerships with industry, organized 

labor, educators, and government, as established 

by the mandate under law and as required to effectively address the workforce challenges faced 

by the aerospace industry. Future Task Force 

activities may include, but are not limited to: 

convening additional expert meetings; participating in conferences, meetings, and events to 

discuss the mission and progress of the Task 

Force; and facilitating appropriate collaborations with member departments and agencies, 

and regional centers of aerospace employment. 

The Task Force will host a series of web-based 

learning sessions (webinars) via ETA’s www.

workforce3one.org portal to promote model 

strategies with the first session targeting the 

U.S. Lieutenant Governors who comprise the 

membership of the Aerospace States Association, detailing the Task Force recommendations. 

Following this session, the Task Force will host 

additional webinars for a wide array of audiences to highlight aerospace best practices identified through its work.
20

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

APPENDIX A

Public Law 109–420

109th Congress

An Act

To establish an interagency aerospace revitalization task force to develop a national 

strategy for aerospace workforce recruitment, training, and cultivation.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America 

in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The aerospace industry generates nearly 15 percent of the gross domestic product of 

the United States, supports approximately 11,000,000 jobs in the United States, and 

leads the United States economy in net exports.

(2) The aerospace industry contributes directly to the economic and national security of 

the United States through military, space, air transport, and information technology 

applications.

(3) A skilled and educated workforce represents the most valuable asset of the United 

States economy.

(4) In 2004, total employment in the aerospace industry fell to its lowest point in 50 

years.

(5) 27 percent of the aerospace manufacturing workforce will become eligible for 

retirement by 2008.

(6) Students in the United States rank near the bottom of the leading industrialized 

countries of the world in mathematics and science test performance.

(7) To ensure the stability of high-skilled jobs and the global competitiveness of the 

domestic aerospace industry, the United States requires coordinated Federal 

Government policies to sustain and expand the science, mathematics, engineering, 

and manufacturing workforce.

SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY AEROSPACE REVITALIZATION TASK FORCE.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a task force to be known as the 

‘‘Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force’’ (in this section referred to as the 

‘‘Task Force’’).

(b) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall develop a strategy for the Federal Government for 

aerospace workforce development, including strategies for—

(1) maximizing cooperation among departments and agencies of the Federal 

Government and the use of resources of the Federal Government in fulfilling 

demand for a skilled workforce across all vocational classifications;
21

February 2008

(2) developing integrated Federal Government policies to promote and 

monitor public and private sector programs for science, engineering, 

technology, mathematics, and skilled trades education and training; and

(3) establishing partnerships with industry, organized labor, academia, and 

State and local governments to—

(A) collect and disseminate information on occupational requirements 

and projected employment openings; and

(B) coordinate appropriate agency resources, including grants, loans, and 

scholarships, for the advancement of workforce education, training, 

and certification programs.

(c) MEMBERSHIP.—

(1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Task Force shall be composed of 

11 members who shall be appointed as follows:

(A) One member shall be the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

Employment and Training.

(B) One member shall be a representative of the Department of 

Commerce and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.

(C) One member shall be a representative of the Department of Defense 

and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Defense.

(D) One member shall be a representative of the Department of Homeland 

Security and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Homeland 

Security.

(E) One member shall be a representative of the Department of Education 

and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Education.

(F) One member shall be a representative of the Department of 

Transportation and shall be appointed by the Secretary of 

Transportation.

(G) One member shall be a representative of the Department of Energy 

and shall be appointed by the Secretary of Energy.

(H)One member shall be a representative of the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration (NASA) and shall be appointed by the 

Administrator of NASA.

(I) One member shall be a representative of the National Science 

Foundation (NSF) and shall be appointed by the Director of the NSF.

(J) Two members shall be appointed by the President.

(2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and 

Training shall serve as the chairperson of the Task Force.

(3) DEADLINE FOR APPOINTMENT.—Each member shall be appointed to the 

Task Force not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(4) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Task Force shall be filled in the manner in 

which the original appointment was made.
22

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

(5) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION.—Members of the Task Force may not 

receive pay, allowances, or benefits by reason of their service on the Task Force.

(d) MEETINGS.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall meet at the call of the Chairperson.

(2) FREQUENCY.—The Task Force shall meet not less than two times each year.

(3) QUORUM.—6 members of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum.

(e) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

and annually thereafter for four years, the Task Force shall submit to Congress, and make 

available to the public, a report detailing the activities of the Task Force and containing the 

findings, strategies, recommendations, policies, and initiatives developed pursuant to the 

duties of the Task Force under subsection (b).

(f) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate on the date of the submission of the 

final report under subsection (e).

Approved December 20, 2006.
23

February 2008

APPENDIX B

Task Force Roundtable Summary

The Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task 

Force hosted a roundtable in partnership with 

the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment 

and Training Administration (ETA), the U.S. 

Department of Education, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and 

the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) on 

Thursday, October 18, 2007. This daylong session was designed to build on the Interagency 

Aerospace Revitalization Task Force implementation plan recommendations to raise awareness 

and drive the national dialogue on aerospace 

and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, 

and Mathematics) education and workforce 

needs. The session included Federal partners, 

membership from the Aerospace States Association, key industry representatives, leading 

educational institutions, representation from 

aerospace-driven regions, as well as members of 

the media and several STEM-savvy students.

A planning committee representing the four 

host partners circulated materials developed 

and referenced by the Task Force in creating 

its implementation plan prior to the roundtable. The planning committee developed an 

agenda for the roundtable that framed the Task 

Force recommendations in the context of the 

NASA Education framework of Inspire, Engage, 

Educate, and Employ. The agenda provided for 

experts that would build upon previous assetmapping efforts to define promising practices, 

programs, technical tools and resources that 

may be leveraged to benefit the future work 

of the Task Force. The roundtable also offered 

aerospace-driven economies an opportunity to 

learn about how they can build the STEM pipeline in their regions and put ideas into action to 

leverage available resources and address their 

workforce needs at the regional level.

Roundtable Goals

Review and validate the Task Force 

implementation plan recommendations.

Facilitate alignment and integration of 

public and private STEM resources. 

Promote evidence-based national, state, 

and regional strategies for STEM and 

aerospace industry talent development 

in support of economic growth in 

regional economies.

Improve alignment of programs that 

target STEM education. 

Better utilize existing public and private 

resources (financial and technical) 

across all partners.

Key Discussion Points

The roundtable kicked off with a message 

regarding the importance of the aerospace 

industry as a growth industry and the critical relationship between the industry and national security. Participants were encouraged to consider 

and discuss throughout the day both short-term 

corrections and long-term solutions the Task 

Force has recommended or should consider as 

it creates a blueprint for action. Major themes 

from the discussant remarks follow below (complete session notes and expert presentations are 

located at http://www.workforce3one.org/

content/public/aerospace.cfm):

STEM Literacy

It is essential that average Americans 

understand basic scientific principles, 

not just to provide a supply of scientists 

and engineers, but to ensure the public 
24

Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

is equipped with the essential literacy 

for civic and economic participation. 

Civic engagement is required from 

taxpayers who fund NASA; if they 

do not understand the essentials of 

science then they will not support the 

continued investment in programs and 

infrastructure.

Demographics

The industry must consider other 

demographic communities to tap 

into, including further outreach to 

minorities, women, and alternative 

labor pools.

The achievement gap for young women 

in STEM has been reduced to within 1 

percent. However, women only enter 

quantitative research fields one-fourth 

as often as men. Meanwhile, high 

school males with a “B” average in 

math report a greater sense of ability 

in the subject than females with an “A” 

average. Greater effort must be made 

with women and minorities to foster a 

greater sense of accomplishment.

Opportunities

Efforts must be made to develop 

effective partnerships and programs 

at the State and local level, as it is 

difficult to affect the process form 

the Federal level. The United States is 

at a disadvantage compared to other 

countries in the area of educational 

reform due to the strong heritage of 

local control.

Average students spend less than onequarter of a day in school. They will 

have only spent nine percent of their 

life in school by the time of high school 

graduation. This presents a stunning 

opportunity for engagement if those 

young people invest the time beyond 

that nine percent.

Outcomes

Roundtable participants referenced the advance 

reading materials provided by the planning committee and received presentations from experts 

to consider the validity and utility of the Task 

Force recommendations. The following represents the output from each participant session 

team presented at the conclusion of the day:

Inspire

The participants endorsed a focused 

approach to public awareness and 

outreach for aerospace careers that:

Contains messages that are relevant 

and personal.

Conveys impact, meaning, and 

purpose.

Demonstrates a coordinated national 

agenda, deployed through a variety 

of means to appropriate audiences.

Participants validated the cybercommunity recommendation of the 

Task Force, stressing the need that it 

be created as an organizational vehicle 

where all stakeholders have a role. The 

Federal, State, and local governments 

should invest in the infrastructure, with 

industry taking leadership to define 

competencies and update content, and 

educators sharing curriculum and best 

practices.

The participants validated the Task 

Force recommendation to develop an 

Investment Strategy that identifies and 

funds best practices.

The group challenged the Task 

Force, when implementing its 

recommendations, to clearly articulate 

the roles and responsibilities of 

stakeholders in the key areas of public 

awareness and development of the 

cyber-community.
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February 2008

Engage

The participants validated the Task 

Force recommendation to identify, 

define, evaluate, fund and disseminate 

best practices in the area of engagement, 

through the cyber-community.

Participants endorsed the need for a 

template to build and scale strategic 

partnerships to leverage and link 

resources, which include federal, 

state, and local government, K-Gray 

education, industry, non-profit and 

local businesses.

The participants endorsed the need 

for a multi-pronged marketing/public 

awareness campaign, which includes 

educating teachers, counselors, parents, 

and students with targeted messaging 

supported by industry and government.

Educate

Participants endorsed the need for 

greater professional development 

opportunities for teachers. These 

recommendations include:

Greater funding, expertise, and 

facilities for teacher and faculty 

fellowships and externships.

Greater emphasis on pre-service 

teacher preparation in workrelevant content.

Greater support for research from 

curiosity level to problem-solving 

level through applied research, 

with full engagement of the 

continuum of students and faculty 

along the way.

Clearly articulated roles and 

responsibilities for stakeholders.

The participants endorsed the need 

for addressing STEM education 

as part of lifelong learning. These 

recommendations include:

Creation of a liaison for the K-12 

system to connect superintendents 

and other local officials with 

industry experts to identify 

and leverage resources for the 

classroom.

Industry expansion of tuition 

incentives for undergraduate 

degrees in STEM-related fields 

and providing authentic aerospace 

projects for the teaching of 

engineering processes and 

practices.

Expanded funding of basic 

research to challenge graduate 

students in solving problems, as 

well as providing the next set of 

innovative aerospace solutions and 

advancements.

Seed funding at the state level to 

develop and expand professional 

schools aimed at the continuing 

education for the aerospace and 

STEM workforce.

Participants validated the Task Force 

recommendation to establish a cybercommunity containing an inventory of 

resources and best practices in aerospace 

and STEM education and workforce 

development. The participants 

encouraged the Task Force to consider 

the development of common resource 

terminology and the streamlining of 

processes where possible.

Employ

The participants validated the 

Task Force cyber-community 

recommendation, with the suggestion 

that it serve as a central resource to 

serve a diverse community.

The participants validated the Task 

Force recommendations related to 
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Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

security clearances, with the suggestion 

that the Task Force consider portability 

of clearances and development of 

common clearance criteria.

Participants endorsed the need to 

develop systemic STEM and aerospace 

solutions that first address variability 

in education/training quality, and 

include industry-developed consensus 

standards for certification of 

technicians.

Participants suggested the development 

of a computer model to ensure that 

human resource needs are met in a 

timely manner. This model should 

include policy measures that come 

into play in case there is a shortage of 

trained personnel.

Next Steps

Following the four sessions, the Chair closed the 

roundtable by committing the Task Force to the 

following next steps:

The Task Force will collect and post 

all presentations, session notes, and 

recommendations produced for and during 

the roundtable to www.workforce3one.org.

The Task Force will provide an annual 

report to Congress by December 

20, 2007, detailing the activities and 

recommendations from the first year of 

the Task Force. Upon transmission of this 

report to Congress, the Task Force will 

make the findings available publicly.

During 2008, the Task Force will conduct a 

series of aerospace webinar sessions hosted 

through ETA’s www.workforce3one.org 

portal during 2008. The first session will 

be a session designed for members of the 

Aerospace States Association who were 

unable to attend the roundtable, detailing 

the session findings and the Task Force 

recommendations. Following this session, 

the Task Force will host additional webinars 

to highlight aerospace best practices 

identified through the work of the Task 

Force following this session.
27

February 2008

APPENDIX C

Aerospace Centers of Employment

Aerospace Employment by State

Source: 2004 AIA Aerospace Statistics
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Report of the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force 

Major Aerospace Industry Employment Centers

Source: 2004 AIA Aerospace Statistics

* AIA data reflects industry data only and does not account for government employees such as 

those employed at the Johnson Space Center in Texas or Kennedy Space Center in Florida.