11/11/04

This article originally appeared in the September 2003 edition of diversityinbusiness.com

by Dan Perkins

Paul Foster is a man with a mission to increase awareness among minorities and women about career opportunities in aviation maintenance.  

Although Foster has taught aviation maintenance in the military and private sector, he recently completed his doctoral dissertation on minority and women participation within the field of aviation maintenance. It is a field where Foster has considerable expertise, and he hopes his findings will serve as a catalyst for more concentrated efforts to recruit minorities and women into the field of aviation maintenance.

Foster originally wanted to conduct research on Blacks in aviation, but due to the lack of information, he focused on minorities and women.  He was surprised to discover that his own employer, the Federal Aviation Administration, which maintains extensive records on individuals involved in aviation, does not keep statistics on minorities according to race and ethnicity.

Foster started his doctoral program in 1999 and finished in July 2003.  He earned a doctorate in education (EDD) from Pepperdine University in California.  

For his dissertation, which is entitled, Recruiting Minority and Women into Aviation Maintenance, Foster surveyed 17 aviation maintenance schools located throughout the United States.  He restricted his research to schools that were serious enough about diversity to have at least a minority or a woman among the teaching staff.  

Foster said that one of the most startling findings of his research was how little minorities and women avail themselves of aviation maintenance programs.  He believes the problem is a function of two conditions: one, the way information is presented in school brochures; and two, the limited efforts by aviation maintenance schools to attract minorities and women.  "If schools want to recruit minorities and women, at the very least, their materials should show minorities and women so they can identify with the opportunity," said Foster.  

But Paul Foster isn't one to wait on others to get things done.  He routinely goes into Southern California middle schools and high schools and talks with students, particularly minority students, about opportunities in aviation maintenance and beyond.  "I try to expose the kids to all aspects of aviation," said Foster.  "If I don't know the answer to a question, I know people who do, and I'll get back to the student with the answer.  The National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NBCFAE) is a great resource for anyone interested in aviation.  We have people who are pilots, air traffic controllers, engineers, electronic technicians, in addition to aviation mechanics." 

Foster serves on NBCFAE's Education Committee, and he has been employed by the FAA for eight years.  He is currently working out of the Runway Safety Office in Southern California, which is a unit within the FAA that researches incidents involving aircraft that come too close to one another, unauthorized access to runways by pedestrians, and unsafe activities among vehicles that operate on airport runways.  The research and analysis is designed to help the agency identify ways to improve safety on airport runways.  Foster is presently investigating the training and safety records of drivers of vehicles that operate on airport runways.  "I look at who conducts driver training at an airport," said Foster.  "Is it the airport management staff, or is the training contracted out, or is it left up to each tenant of the airport to do their own training?  I'll look at which one has the highest number of safety incidents, and then make recommendations."    

Prior to joining the Runway Safety Office, Foster was a training program manager.  He was responsible for setting up training forums for FAA employees.  In addition to coordinating training programs specific to aviation, Foster also organized sessions that dealt with business leadership, interpersonal skills, and communication skills - topics that Foster said were designed to create a more complete employee.

Before joining the FAA, Foster was an assistant professor at Fairmont State College in West Virginia, where he taught aircraft maintenance technology.  He spent 21 years in the U.S. Air Force where he progressed from an aircraft mechanic, to a master instructor teaching aircraft mechanics, to superintendent of the aerospace and aviation sciences program at the Community College of the Air Force.  

Foster is keen on minorities and women getting their start in aviation in the Air Force.  "Treat the military the same as you would any other employer," advised Foster.  "Go in and ask for what you want; and get what you want.  I asked for aircraft maintenance because I love taking things apart, putting them together, and then watching them work. I got what I asked for, aircraft maintenance,  loved it, and I stayed for 21 years."

Foster's passion for the military and teaching are a direct reflection of his upbringing.  His father was a military police officer and his mother was a teacher.  His father's many assignments took Foster around the world.  "I had a cop and a teacher in the house, so I had to behave myself," said Foster with a joyous smile.  He not only behaved himself, he leveraged his background and opportunities into a meaningful career - one he is very passionate about.

Industry studies suggest a shortage of aviation mechanics within the near-future.  Foster believes that shortage will create a tremendous opportunity for minorities and women.  "Pilots cannot fly an airplane that's not airworthy, and it requires a mechanic to make them safe for operation," said Foster.  He is hopeful that his dissertation will motivate more education institutions to reach out in ways that allow minorities and women to be part of the solution to a growing problem.

The End