Aims Aircraft Maintenance Program Earns FAA Certification, Launches Frontier Airlines Hiring Pathway

Aims received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification as an official Part 147 aviation maintenance school. This is in addition to establishing a new hiring pathway agreement with Frontier Airlines, which includes a $25,000 signing bonus for eligible graduates. This month, two ceremonial events marked these significant steps in the development of the college’s new, nearly 60,000-square-foot Aircraft Maintenance Training Center (AMTC) at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland. 

“These two signings, with the FAA and with Frontier, are transformational for our program,” said Michael Sasso, Chief of Aircraft Maintenance at Aims. “FAA certification formally recognizes us as a Part 147 school and the Frontier partnership gives students a direct line into high-demand, high-wage jobs.”

Frontier Airlines Pathway: $25,000 Bonus 

Aims finalized a hiring pathway agreement with Frontier Airlines on December 16.  The airline will offer certificated and qualified Aims AMT graduates the opportunity to apply for aircraft maintenance technician positions with Frontier after they have successfully completed the program and obtained FAA certification.

For students who are hired and meet Frontier’s standard employment requirements, including background checks and drug and alcohol screening, the agreement includes a $25,000 signing bonus in exchange for a minimum three-year employment commitment.

“For an in-state student who invests roughly $42,000 in this program, that $25,000 bonus can pay back more than half of what they invested in their education,” Sasso said. “It’s a powerful way to launch a career while graduating with little to no accumulated debt at the same time.”

The bonus is prorated if a technician leaves before the end of the three-year commitment. After three years, technicians may keep the full bonus and are free to continue their career with Frontier or pursue other opportunities in the industry.

Frontier also holds a seat on Aims’ Aircraft Maintenance Program advisory board, providing input on curriculum and helping align training with real-world needs. As the partnership evolves, the airline may contribute tools, materials and other support for student learning.

Pathway agreements like this are common in aviation maintenance and are not exclusive to one employer. Aims is actively exploring additional employer partnerships to give students multiple options for employment after graduation.

FAA Certification: Joining an Elite Group

A certificate presentation ceremony between the FAA and Aims officials on December 12 marked Aims’ certification as a Part 147 aviation maintenance school. This designation allows Aims to deliver the approved curriculum and training required for students to earn their Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license, the national credential for aircraft maintenance technicians. 

“The FAA certification is the official stamp that we are a program that can produce certificated aviation maintenance technicians,” Sasso said. “Students are choosing a school that is directly aligned with the FAA and delivering the exact training they’ll be tested on for their A&P license, as well as prepare them to go to work immediately afterwards in this fast-paced and highly technical industry.”

Sasso noted that Part 147 schools represent a relatively small, specialized group nationwide. Aims is now one of only a handful of institutions in Colorado offering this level of training.

Meeting a Critical Workforce Need

The AMT program is part of Aims’ broader effort to respond to a critical national shortage of aircraft mechanics. Industry and FAA data project a need for more than 700,000 aircraft technicians worldwide over the next 30 years. 

“The need right now is north of 700,000 technicians over the next three decades,” Sasso said. “At full maturity, we expect to have 275 to 300 students in the program at any given time and to graduate roughly 100 to 150 technicians each year into the aviation and aerospace workforce.”

Starting salaries for aircraft maintenance technicians are currently averaging $70,000, Sasso said, with many technicians earning well into six figures within five to seven years on the job. “This is a long-term, stable career path with serious earning potential,” he said. “Technicians can work in major airline hubs, regional airports or in aerospace companies across the country and around the world.”

Beyond Aviation: A Workforce Development Engine

While the program is designed to prepare students for A&P certification and aviation careers, Sasso emphasized that the training also builds high-value technical skills that transfer into other industries.

“We teach sheet metal, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, composites, skills that are in demand across Colorado and the U.S.,” he said. “For students who decide not to work specifically on aircraft, those same skills are needed in aerospace, advanced manufacturing and other technical trades. This isn’t just an aviation training center, it’s a workforce development center.”

The AMTC supports the entire aviation ecosystem at Aims, which now comprises four pillars: flight training, air traffic control, unmanned aircraft systems and aircraft maintenance. 

For more information or to request a tour of the Aircraft Maintenance Training Center, visit aims.co/aircraft-tech.