HR Articles

BIA, Tribe-Run Schools Avoiding Background Checks

Background checks are becoming increasingly important, especially in schools of all shape and form, according to a recent report.

Some employees at schools in the Bureau of Indian Affairs system have been hired without undergoing all of the required background checks, according to an article on Indianz.com.

Federal law requires that all BIA employees who come in contact with American Indian children undergo an FBI fingerprint check and character check every five years. Schools managed directly by tribes also require employees to undergo a background check.

However, a random sampling by the Interior Department's Inspector General revealed 2 percent of employees at schools run by the BIA had no security files and 76 percent had material errors in their file.

"Material errors in the investigations included lack of required FBI fingerprint checks, absence of character background checks, and absence of re-investigations for employees with over five years on the job," the report noted.

The sampling also revealed that 6 percent of employees did not undergo a fingerprint check, 5 percent failed to complete a criminal background check and 60 percent of employees working for longer than five years were not re-investigated.

The sampling also found that half the employees in schools run by tribes were hired before undergoing a background check and 73 percent were later found to have a criminal record.

"The OIG commended the schools for their response to the findings, saying many of them took action after being told of problems," the article notes. "The BIA also agreed to implement all of the report's recommendations, which included a '100 percent' review of employees at schools run directly by tribes."

According to data cited in the sampling, the FBI initiated 1,658 investigations and made 537 arrests in Indian child sexual abuse matters in fiscal years 2003 through 2006. During the same time, the FBI initiated 134 investigations and made 39 arrests in Indian child physical abuse matters. This represented about 30 percent of all FBI investigations in American Indian territory during that period.

Aviation and Aerospace Jobs in Florida Seeing a Turnaround

The aviation and aerospace industry has finally taken off again, and jobs in Florida are soaring.

In 2006, according to an article by the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, Florida's aviation and aerospace industry was made up of 1,819 establishments and employed 84,099 people, an increase of 886 jobs from 2005. However, the industry as a whole has lost 10,484 jobs, an 11.1 percent increase, since 2001.

Florida is notably home to NASA Merrit Island launch sites, including Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral.

The aviation and aerospace industry includes: air transportation, support activities for air transportation, flight training, search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical and nautical system and instrument manufacturing, aerospace products and parts manufacturing, satellite communicators and space research and technology.

In 2005, the average annual wage for a Florida worker in the aviation and aerospace industry was $53,211, higher than the state's overall average salary of $36,804. Only two of the top 15 occupations within the industry require a bachelor's degree, while most require only postsecondary vocational or less training.

The largest occupation in the industry is air transportation, which employed 30,006 people in June 2006. This accounts for 35.7 percent of all aviation and aerospace employment. The second largest occupation in the industry is support activities for air transportation, with 20,700 jobs.

The top 15 occupations in the industry include:

• ticket agents and travel clerks with an average hourly wage of $14.67
• aircraft mechanics and service technicians with an average hourly wage of $22.79
• flight attendants with an undisclosed average hourly wage
• airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers with an average hourly wage of $65.84
• cargo and freight agents with an average hourly wage of $17.18
• laborers and freight, stock and material movers with an average hourly wage of $9.95
• electrical and electronic equipment assemblers with an average hourly wage of $11.89
• aerospace engineers with an average hourly wage of $36.01
• misc. transportation attendants with an average hourly wage of $9.69
• baggage porters and bellhops with an average hourly wage of $8.86
• customer service representatives with an average hourly wage of $13.52
• aircraft structure, surfaces and systems assemblers with an average hourly wage of $22.26
• industrial engineers with an average hourly wage of $30.92
• first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers with an average hourly wage of $21.91
• Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers with and average hourly wage of $15.73

Of the top 15 occupations in the industry, six are expected to lose jobs throughout the next several years. These include: ticket agents and travel clerks, cargo and freight agents, laborers and freight, stock and material movers, electrical and electronic equipment assemblers, first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians are expected to grow the fastest and gain the most jobs.

So while the aviation and aerospace industry suffered after 2001, Florida jobs in the industry have finally started to see a turn around.