AAR Joins Executive Club Panel Addressing Skills Gap

Chairman and CEO David Storch shares strategies for firms facing hiring challenges

CHICAGO – AAR (NYSE: AIR) joined representatives from higher education and workforce development for a special breakfast panel, “Putting People Back to Work By Solving the Skills Gap,” hosted by the Executive Club of Chicago to present solutions to America’s worker shortage.

AAR Chairman and CEO David P. Storch, representing industry, was joined by panelists Cheryl Hyman, Chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago; Joel Simon, AVP with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL); and moderator Julie Cole, VP North America, at Manpower.

The skills gap has been identified as a nationwide problem affecting multiple industries, slowing growth and the economic recovery. Under Mr. Storch’s leadership, AAR has emerged as a thought leader among Chicago-based companies combating the skills gap through public-private partnerships, aligning curriculum with business needs and interactive field trips that expose students to careers that operate largely behind the scenes. These strategies are designed to meet the near-term challenge of filling open positions and building a pipeline of talent for applied STEM careers that do not necessarily require a four-year college degree.

“At a time of record-high unemployment, there are jobseekers who have the aptitude and desire to work in aviation but aren’t aware of these careers or how to access them,” Mr. Storch said. “Employers have to demonstrate leadership by getting young people excited about the industry, partnering with schools and providing on-the-job training opportunities to close the skills gaps if we are to remain globally competitive.”

AAR was selected by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Office as aviation industry partner for a new education to careers engagement strategy between the City Colleges of Chicago and private business to prepare residents for jobs in high-growth sectors.

Last fall, AAR commissioned the special report, The Mid Skills Gap in Middle America: Building Today’s Workforce, which used the Company as an example of a midsize firm actively implementing solutions to compete for qualified workers and grow the talent pool.