Stakeholder Perceptions of Specialized Accreditation by the Aviation Accreditation Board International: Part Two – Aviation Students and Industry Employers

Abstract

In an effort to understand the current status of specialized accreditation in collegiate aviation and the reasons why so few aviation programs are accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), a comprehensive study was undertaken to determine the perceptions held by the following four stakeholders of collegiate aviation regarding specialized accreditation by AABI: administrators of both AABI accredited and non-AABI accredited aviation programs, collegiate aviation program students, and aviation industry employers. This article is the second in a series of three reporting the results of this nationwide study, and presents the perceptions of collegiate aviation students and aviation industry employers. Recommendations specific to part two of this nationwide study include: (a) Collegiate aviation students should become better informed about AABI and the current accreditation status of the program they attend; and (b) Aviation industry employers should be willing to collaborate with AABI on developing quality aviation graduates via the AABI Industry-Educator Forum and consider placing an emphasis on hiring graduates of AABI accredited programs.