Determine the Factors of Influence for Young Adults (21+ Years) to Study Aviation in Puerto Rico: A Quantitative Descriptive Study

The field of aviation has been in continuous development since the airplane was invented, however this development, mainly technological, has delicate implications in the area of human resources in aviation. Aviation industry professionals estimated that by 2025 there will be a significant shortage of professionals in this industry at the global level because today young people are not attracted to aviation, specifically careers within this industry. The problem of the shortage of professionals in the aviation industry has been studied to determine the factors that influence and motivate young people in Puerto Rico to study and pursue a career in the aviation industry. To achieve the purpose of determining these factors this quantitative research was developed to generate descriptive data by employing the use of a survey, which required a pilot study to verify its validity. This validated survey was distributed among 79 participants of a purposefully selected sample from a population of 120 aviation students from the two major aviation schools in Puerto Rico. The data obtained through the survey instrument was analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, and standard deviation). The analysis of the data determined that for aviation students in Puerto Rico the fact of visiting an airport was the main factor that motivated them to study aviation. The factor that influenced next was the influence by their personal perceptions towards the aviation industry. These personal perceptions were based on the benefits the students can expect from working in the aviation industry. Further research is recommended to determine additional factors that may motivate students to pursue a career in aviation. This study can be replicated taking into account the cultural conditions of the place where it is replicated.