Airmen in the aircraft maintenance career field who choose to separate or retire in the next few years could be stepping into a job market flush with opportunity.

The state of Washington currently has a shortage of skilled workers in the aerospace industry and that shortage could grow even larger as a sizeable portion of Boeing's work force begin to retire.

To address the issue, state officials budgeted to develop on-the-job training programs to instruct workers in the aerospace industry. These training programs are in the form of Washington state aerospace apprenticeship programs. The Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) was born out of this initiative to manage and facilitate the development and growth of registered aerospace and advanced manufacturing apprenticeship programs in Washington.

The AJAC designs, develops, and implements these apprenticeship programs for multiple aerospace and manufacturing occupations.

Air Force veterans with machinist backgrounds are prime candidates to be selected for the apprenticeship programs, said AJAC Executive Director Laura Hopkins.

"Typically, veterans are at the top of our selection list," Hopkins said.

Employers especially like veterans for their work ethic and reliability, she added. The AJAC is also in the midst of developing a program that tailors to the job needs of aircraft mechanics.

Once Airmen who have spent time working on military aircraft separate, it can be difficult for some to identify and directly translate their experience into the civilian world so they get their Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Powerplant license.

"We're trying to work with FAA officials to come up with a program to standardize that process," Hopkins said.

That way, some Airmen won't be forced to pursue a two-year airframe and powerplant license program for experience they have already gained while serving their time working on military aircraft, she said. For more information on the AJAC, visit www.ajactraining.org.