Embry-Riddle Prescott Joins FAA University ATC Program

FAA expands university ATC training pipeline to strengthen controller workforce through addition of Embry-Riddle Prescott.

Embry-Riddle Prescott Air traffic control ATC
[Credit: Connor McShane, Wilson Van Ness/Embry-Riddle]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott campus is the first in Arizona authorized under the FAA's Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program.
  • This makes it the ninth school nationwide, including Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus, to deliver the same curriculum and training technology as the FAA's Air Traffic Controller Academy.
  • The FAA's initiative aims to streamline training and aggressively expand the air traffic controller workforce to ensure aviation safety and efficiency.
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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus has become the first school in the state authorized under the FAA’s Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative program. The announcement makes Embry-Riddle Prescott the ninth school nationwide, including Embry-Riddle’s own Daytona Beach campus, to deliver the same curriculum and training technology used at the FAA’s Air Traffic Controller Academy in Oklahoma City.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said the addition of Prescott is part of a broader effort to streamline training and expand the controller workforce. 

“We’re taking aggressive action at the FAA to recruit the best and brightest into our controller workforce by making the training process more efficient than ever,” Duffy said on Monday. “These jobs are critical to keeping our skies safe and with the expansion of our training capabilities through Enhanced AT-CTI schools, we are bolstering our aviation workforce and ushering in a higher volume of controllers beyond our previous capabilities.”

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the new program builds on Embry-Riddle’s existing relationship with the agency. 

“We’re excited to partner with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on its second campus to strengthen our controller workforce and pipeline,” Bedford said in the FAA statement. 

Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler added that having both the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses approved highlights the school’s training standards. 

“We are proud to see our highly skilled, professional graduates immediately join the controller ranks for training to keep air traffic moving safely and efficiently,” Butler said.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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