As the aerospace workforce ages and technology advances it is imperative to continually train engineers and managers to refresh and advance their knowledge base in order to keep the U.S. competitive. This challenge is further complicated by the fact that over the past few years roughly 40% of U.S. skilled tradesman have retired.

In 2012, Aviation Week reported that the average age of an aerospace employee was 45, and only 4.19% of all industry employees were between the ages of 22 and 25. This indicates that the demand for workforce training will remain high for at least the next several decades.

It has also been reported that the size of the aerospace workforce is slowly decreasing, requiring aerospace manufacturers to do more with fewer employees. This means productivity initiatives are even more important to maintain competitiveness.

One of AIA's Year-End Reviews stated: "Companies will need to become even more efficient to stay competitive. Whether it's exploiting mature technologies in new and different ways, developing new approaches to existing problems, or exploring cutting-edge processes, technologies, and products, U.S. [aerospace] companies will need to devote even further energy to innovation in the future."

Longtime aerospace workers are retiring in record numbers. Many have crossed the 60-year-old milestone in recent years. This trend is expected to continue, resulting in the loss of a vast amount of technological and engineering knowledge.

The solution will require a combination of short-term and long-term strategies. One approach to maintaining an industrial leadership position is continual workforce training in the technologies and processes needed to compete in the international marketplace.

The aerospace industry must also attract the best and brightest young people. Recently, the National Society of High School Scholars published an annual survey of the "emerging workforce," defined as millennials aged 15 to 26.

Eighteen-thousand young people were asked to name a preferred employer. The top answers included Google, Disney, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Apple and the FBI. Of the top 100 preferred companies, only Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were mentioned.

Clearly, U.S. aerospace firms will thrive in the future only if they can attract young talent, create fresh approaches to business practices and maintain continual training opportunities for the workforce.

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