Diversity strikes the FAA

[Skeptic Tank]

Trouble in the Skies

Really worth reading the entire lengthy article, here are some choice quotes:

"FOX Business' "Trouble in the Skies," a six month investigation of the FAA’s new hiring practices, uncovered changes that may put the nation’s flying public at risk as well as allegations that the newest air traffic control recruits had access to answers on a key test that helped them gain jobs with the FAA.
...

Also uncovered was an FAA effort to promote diversity that discarded 3000 qualified college graduates with degrees in air traffic control despite their following FAA procedure and obtaining FAA accredited degrees."

"It takes several years of study to acquire the complex skills necessary to become an air traffic controller, or ATC. It’s considered among the highest pressured jobs in America.
...

The FAA says it created the BQ (Biographical Questionnaire) to promote diversity among its work force. All air traffic control applicants are required to take it. Those who pass are deemed eligible and those who fail are ruled ineligible."

"In 2014, 28,000 people took the BQ and 1591 were offered jobs. FOX Business, as first reported on FBN’s “The Willis Report”, has uncovered evidence that FAA employees’ including some within the agency’s human resources department may have helped applicants cheat on that test."

"An FAA press release issued in April 2013 says, “Administrator Michael Huerta has made an historic commitment to transform the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) into a more diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects, understands, and relates to the diverse customers we serve.”"

"The FAA made those changes based on a barrier analysis started in 2012 which identified, “… four of seven decision points in the air traffic controller hiring process that resulted in adverse impact to applicants from at least one demographic group.” In other words, the agency’s analysis determined there were barriers for minority applicants to obtain the FAA’s air traffic control jobs."

“You’re toying with lives. You’re toying with students who invested so much time and effort into this and you’re also toying with aviation safety."

Many more good quotes I'd include but I don't want to exceed the limit, whatever that may be. The article is pretty vast so this is a very small bit of it.

Anyone who thought a crucial field like this would be spared from the lowering of standards to get more diversity, on account of the consequences of doing so being fatal... well, you'd better think again I suppose.

The most amazing part is the FAA guy calling applicants and letting them know he's e-mailing them all the answers to the BQ test so they'll pass it.

 

[autumn1971]

Oh, Fox Business. So it's another "one white guy failed to get a job he was unqualified for, and then Muslims!"

I'll go ahead and ignore this crepulence.

 

[332nd]

So the washout rate is the same...

 

[Puppycow]

Interesting. So they decided to replace an aptitude test with a "biographical questionnaire" to determine who is qualified. Further, members of the NBCFAE were given the "correct" answers to the questionnaire to make doubly sure they passed it.

Oh, Fox Business. So it's another "one white guy failed to get a job he was unqualified for, and then Muslims!"

I'll go ahead and ignore this crepulence.

Did you read any of it?

Whether any of this will actually have an impact on safety, I'm not sure, but several of the practices described in the article seem unfair. The questionnaire seems arbitrary as it doesn't measure aptitude for the job in question but what appear to be arbitrary biographical facts about the applicants.

When I say "unfair", I base it on the following, for example:

Like several other young men and women pursuing air traffic control degrees, Douglas borrowed thousands of dollars, $30,000 in his case, to earn an FAA accredited degree from programs the FAA calls Collegiate Training Initiative or CTI Schools. The FAA created the CTI program more than 20 years ago to provide the agency with a reliable source of qualified air traffic control applicants.

Matthew Douglas earned a perfect score, 100, on the FAA’s old screening test called the Air Traffic Selection and Training exam, or AT-SAT. The FAA says the AT-SAT is an eight hour computer based test that measures, “aptitude required for entry-level air traffic control positions.”

The FAA used to give hiring preference to CTI graduates, like Douglas, who achieved the “well qualified” designation on the AT-SAT, successfully earned a degree from a CTI program and obtained a recommendation from the CTI program’s administrators. Douglas had it all as he awaited the FAA’s 2014 bid for jobs. It appeared, to him, that he was at the front of the FAA’s line to be hired as 2013 came to a close. “I finished my air traffic control program with a 4.0 and I interned for the FAA. I think that I had a decent chance, absolutely,” he said.

So under the old system he was as qualified as the come, having scored a perfect score on the test and having a 4.0 GPA. And remember he borrowed $30,000 to get that degree. Here's where the unfairness comes in:

But just as Matthew Douglas prepared for a new year and a new life, the FAA dropped a bomb. On December 30, 2013 the FAA threw out his AT-SAT score, CTI diploma and recommendations from his CTI program administrators. In fact, the FAA threw out the AT-SAT scores and CTI qualifications of an estimated 3000 CTI graduates and military veterans who were all previously designated “well qualified” to become air traffic controllers. The FAA told them all to start over. But this time, when they applied for a job, their college degrees and previous military experience would mean nothing. They would now compete with thousands of people the agency calls “off the street hires”; anyone who wants to, can walk in off the street without any previous training and apply for an air traffic control job. The FAA’s only requirements, to apply, are be a U.S. citizen, have a high school diploma, speak English and pass the FAA’s new BQ, Biographical Questionnaire.

Also, some minority applicants were given the "correct" answers to make sure they passed.

I see a business opportunity for anyone who can figure out the "correct" answers to this "personality test" by reverse engineering and prep students by basically just telling them what the "right" answers are. If you are going to one of these colleges, it seems they should now start "teaching to the test" to ensure their graduates can pass it. If not the colleges, then someone less scrupulous.

 

[Skeptic Tank]

If anyone is curious to watch it, this appears to be the full program which appeared on Fox Business channel. It includes the audio of the voicemail answer giving / cheating and interviews with candidates, etc:

YouTube Link (One Hour Long)

 

[Corsair 115]

If the claims made in the story are accurate, they are indeed troubling and worrying.

 

[Finster]

If the claims made in the story are accurate, they are indeed troubling and worrying.

True, but even so, it only speaks to stupid hiring decisions on the part of some FAA people, it has nothing to do with how a more diverse workforce might or might not affect performance/safety etc.

 

[Corsair 115]

True, but even so, it only speaks to stupid hiring decisions on the part of some FAA people, it has nothing to do with how a more diverse workforce might or might not affect performance/safety etc.

Uh, the former (stupid hiring decisions) necessarily has an effect on the latter (performance/safety) if the hires are controllers who are not properly qualified, or worse yet, were allowed to cheat in order to pass.

 

[Finster]

Uh, the former (stupid hiring decisions) necessarily has an effect on the latter (performance/safety) if the hires are controllers who are not properly qualified, or worse yet, were allowed to cheat in order to pass.

That really has nothing to do with my point. Yes, if you hire unqualified people you will have unqualified people working for you, no surprise. I agree that hiring unqualified people in a misguided attempt to increase diversity is a bad idea. It's a bad idea to hire unqualified people for any reason. That still says absolutely nothing about the ramifications of a diverse work force.

 

[marplots]

But are they unqualified? And if so, will the FAA train them to be qualified before putting them to work?

I don't see why the diversity goal and the qualified goal are necessarily at odds. Nor is it necessarily the case that skills/training isn't capped at some maximum, and exceeding that doesn't improve performance.

Perhaps it isn't that hard to be an air traffic controller. I remember when Reagan fired a 11,000 of them in one day. How'd that work out?

One thing seems plain here though, there are more candidates than there are openings.

 

[Finster]

But are they unqualified? And if so, will the FAA train them to be qualified before putting them to work?

I don't see why the diversity goal and the qualified goal are necessarily at odds. Nor is it necessarily the case that skills/training isn't capped at some maximum, and exceeding that doesn't improve performance.

I don't disagree - my only point was that even if we assume the information is both accurate and complete, it is a poor argument against diversity. Depending on the accuracy, and additional information, it might be a good argument against this specific attempt to increase diversity.

 

[Corsair 115]

That really has nothing to do with my point.

Which I presume is the following:

That still says absolutely nothing about the ramifications of a diverse work force.

I wasn't aware anyone had argued diversity in and of itself was a bad thing. How diversity is achieved, however, may well be a bad thing if it involves hiring people who are not properly qualified.

 

[Finster]

How diversity is achieved, however, may well be a bad thing if it involves hiring people who are not properly qualified.

That's pretty much what I said in the previsions post so no disagreement.

I wasn't aware anyone had argued diversity in and of itself was a bad thing.

The author of this thread has made it very clear that he thinks diversity in and of itself is a bad thing so I don't think it's out of line to point out the info in the OP does not support that position.

 

[Beerina]

You are about to go in for cardio-thoracic surgery. "Doctor, did you meet the minimum government requirement for surgery, then won a lottery, or are you one of the best in your field?"

"Minimum, and won the position in a lottery."

"Cool. Open me up!"


Ok a bad example. A surgeon can only kill one at a time with a mistake.