Editing Federal Aviation Administration (section)

===Changes to air traffic controller application process===
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In 2014, the FAA modified its approach to air traffic control hiring. It launched more "off the street bids", allowing anyone with either a four-year degree or five years of full-time work experience to apply, rather than the closed college program or Veterans Recruitment Appointment bids, something that had last been done in 2008. Thousands were hired, including veterans, Collegiate Training Initiative graduates, and people who are true "off the street" hires. The move was made to open the job up to more people who might make good controllers but did not go to a college that offered a CTI program. Before the change, candidates who had completed coursework at participating colleges and universities could be "fast-tracked" for consideration. However, the CTI program had no guarantee of a job offer, nor was the goal of the program to teach people to work actual traffic. The goal of the program was to prepare people for the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, OK. Having a CTI certificate allowed a prospective controller to skip the Air Traffic Basics part of the academy, about a 30- to 45-day course, and go right into Initial Qualification Training (IQT). All prospective controllers, CTI or not, have had to pass the FAA Academy in order to be hired as a controller. Failure at the academy means FAA employment is terminated. In January 2015 they launched another pipeline, a "prior experience" bid, where anyone with an FAA Control Tower Operator certificate (CTO) and 52 weeks of experience could apply. This was a revolving bid, every month the applicants on this bid were sorted out, and eligible applicants were hired and sent directly to facilities, bypassing the FAA academy entirely.

In the process of promoting diversity, the FAA revised its hiring process.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Adam |last2=Browne |first2=Pamela |title=Trouble in the Skies |url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/05/20/trouble-in-skies/ |access-date=January 3, 2016 |publisher=Fox Business |date=May 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222092710/http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/05/20/trouble-in-skies/ |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reily |first1=Jason L. |title=Affirmative Action Lands in the Air Traffic Control Tower |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/affirmative-action-lands-in-the-air-traffic-control-tower-1433283292 |access-date=January 3, 2016 |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=June 2, 2015 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=January 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102035652/http://www.wsj.com/articles/affirmative-action-lands-in-the-air-traffic-control-tower-1433283292 |url-status=live}}</ref> The FAA later issued a report that the "bio-data" was not a reliable test for future performance. However, the "Bio-Q" was not the determining factor for hiring, it was merely a screening tool to determine who would take a revised Air Traffic Standardized Aptitude Test (ATSAT). Due to cost and time, it was not practical to give all 30,000 some applicants the revised ATSAT, which has since been validated. In 2015 Fox News levied criticism that the FAA discriminated against qualified candidates.<ref>{{cite news |title=Unqualified air traffic control candidates cheating to pass FAA exams? |url=http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4247596762001/unqualified-air-traffic-control-candidates-cheating-to-pass-faa-exams/?intcmp=related#sp=show-clips |access-date=January 3, 2016 |publisher=Fox Business |date=May 20, 2015 |archive-date=January 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123021144/http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4247596762001/unqualified-air-traffic-control-candidates-cheating-to-pass-faa-exams/?intcmp=related#sp=show-clips |url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2015, a reverse discrimination lawsuit was filed against the FAA seeking class-action status for the thousands of men and women who spent up to $40,000 getting trained under FAA rules before they were abruptly changed. The prospects of the lawsuit are unknown, as the FAA is a self-governing entity and therefore can alter and experiment with its hiring practices, and there was never any guarantee of a job in the CTI program.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shapiro |first1=Adam |title=Reverse Discrimination Suit Filed Against FAA, Hiring Fallout Continues |url=http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/12/30/reverse-discrimination-suit-filed-against-faa-hiring-fallout-continues/ |access-date=January 3, 2016 |publisher=Fox Business |date=December 30, 2015 |archive-date=January 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101160030/http://www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2015/12/30/reverse-discrimination-suit-filed-against-faa-hiring-fallout-continues/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>