The Federal Aviation Administration has added Shenandoah University in Virginia to its Enhanced Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative, making it the first Virginia college to join the programme. The move gives qualifying students a faster route into air traffic control, allowing them to move from approved collegiate training into FAA facility instruction without first attending the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City if they meet the required assessments, medical checks and security standards.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford framed the expansion as part of a wider effort to strengthen the controller pipeline and address staffing needs. Shenandoah is the 13th school certified for E-CTI and the 10th added under Duffy. Students who complete the enhanced track and pass final performance and written assessments receive an FAA endorsement certificate that can support direct placement into FAA facility training.
The agreement covers Shenandoah’s control tower programme, with successful students eligible for placement in an FAA air traffic control tower. The FAA item did not give enrolment figures, an implementation schedule beyond the announcement date, or an estimate of how many controllers the Virginia programme may ultimately produce.