Creating the Future Vertical Workforce
The Vertical Flight Society leads advocacy efforts to advance vertical flight, bringing together members from industry, academia and government to tackle the toughest challenges.
The VTOL workforce is at a critical juncture. At the same time that the US Department of Defense has kicked off several multi-billion dollar acquisition efforts and companies struggle to hire hundreds of additional talented VTOL engineers every year, the Electric VTOL Revolution also requires hundreds of new engineers per company to continue gathering momentum. VFS forecasts 10,000 additional engineers are needed in the next decade to support planned military and civil rotorcraft developments, as well the burgeoning eVTOL / advanced air mobility (AAM) market.
The only way to achieve the needed increase in VTOL talent is by transforming the current aerospace and defense workforce with the best IDEA: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility. VFS has kicked off to help the industry foster an inclusive community that grows stronger through diversity and equity, with considerations for both the workforce and customers through accessibility.
VFS has published several commentaries and reports on the business case for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), linked below. In addition, VFS has partnered with Women & Drones to attract more women to careers in vertical flight. And this year’s VFS Student Design Competition is for an “,” highlighting the important need for accessibility in vertical flight transportation in the future.
