Mark Wygant started in aviation 10 years ago. Today, he’s part of STS Aviation Group’s staffing arm.
“In general, the aviation industry’s had a labor shortage for at least the last five years or so. And each year it’s been getting a little more challenging. So what I enjoy the most is helping our clients overcome one of the biggest headwinds they face today, which is talent acquisition, and the headwinds they face in the labor market right now. So solving their labor shortage, their retention concerns, their compensation challenges, and winning the war on talent is the most enjoyable piece for me,” he said.
Wygant’s foray into the aviation industry began with a move to Florida.
“I took a chance on becoming a recruiter in STS Aviation Group. And then after a couple years of cutting my teeth in what we call the, quote, unquote, recruiting pit, and learning a tremendous amount of information about the aviation industry right from the horse’s mouth from about every skillset in the industry, I moved into the sales side of the organization to manage major program accounts, and consult with the different aviation businesses around the nation on how to leverage outside workforce solutions,” he said.
Over the past four years, Wygant and his team have placed thousands of AMTs into contract and direct hire roles.
Wygant said his pitch to those on the fence about joining aviation is the opportunities are endless.
“I’d double down on the fact that if you’re a competent person that wants to work hard, there is a tremendous amount of opportunities within the industry for all different skillsets. So I think sometimes we think of aviation, you have to be an engineer or a mechanic or a pilot, but there’s everything in between, right? So that you have all your business positions. So you have project management, you have sales, you have accounting, operation managers, VP and CEO level-type positions as well. But at the end of the day, the opportunity in the industry is pretty great. Especially if you’re willing to put your head down and, and work hard, there’s a ton of passion in the industry,” he said.
