As the nation grapples with a shortage of air traffic controllers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is now offering new incentives for older controllers to stay on the job longer. At the same time, one Romeoville university is getting future controllers ready for takeoff faster.
At Lewis University, innovation is taking off during their regular summer break; construction that will allow them to grow and help fill the gaps in the country's shortage of air traffic controllers.
"I'm not throwing any hammers and nails, but I will watch what they're doing, just to ensure that we get what we asked for," said Michael Julias, director of the Air Traffic Controller Program at Lewis University.
Julias, a former air traffic controller, worked at "97 facilities, two centers, two approach controls, and five towers."
"I have a very thorough understanding of the job, yes," he said.
He now will oversee Lewis University's enhanced air traffic controller program when classes resume on Aug. 25.
"This is the type of job that will take you 3 to 4 months to get through the academy, and then possibly another 2 to 3 years to certify, depending on where you're going. So it's a process," he said.
Once Lewis gets that enhanced program started, it will be only the seventh facility in the country to offer one, and it could allow students to skip the FAA academy in Oklahoma City. That's where recent graduate Alex Bryjak is headed to in the fall.
"The simulations were definitely a bigger challenge than I expected. I mean, it's a very high-stress job, and the program here has pushed me to limits that I didn't know I had," he said.
Bryjak said, given the time and training he's had, he's ready for a career overlooking airfields.
Staff at Lewis University said they have about 10-15 air traffic control students now, but expect that number to double or triple as they grow the enhanced program.