<P> In September 2009, the FAA administrator issued a directive mandating that the agency use the term "customers" only to refer to the flying public . </P> <P> In 2014, the FAA modified their approach to air traffic control hiring . They launched more "off the street bids", allowing anyone with either a 4 - year degree or 5 years of full - time work experience to apply, rather than the closed college program or VRA bids, something that had last been done in 2008 . Thousands have been picked up, including veterans, CTI grads, 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 . </P> <P> In the process of promoting diversity the FAA revised their hiring process . 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 determinating 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 . There were also charges that the FAA discriminated against qualified candidates and was helping minority candidates "cheat" to ensure they passed the test . </P> <P> 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 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 . </P>

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