Funding Available To Grow High School Aviation Technical Training Programs

FAA grant will help Choose Aerospace/Clemson University partnership reach more communities.
 
A program that provides high school students a pathway to an aviation maintenance career is expanding for the 2024-25 academic year thanks to a U.S. government grant that will provide financial aid and help grow the list of participating institutions.
 
Choose Aerospace and the Clemson University Center for Workforce Development will use the $500,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant to expand their high school technical training program, with a focus on under-served communities. The grant will provide financial aid for up to 500 students around the country. Participating schools will be eligible to apply for the curriculum scholarship for up to 25 students.
 
Schools are encouraged to apply for the funding, which will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The deadline to apply is August 1. For more information and to apply, visit https://www.chooseaerospace.org/curriculum.html.
 
Centered around a curriculum developed by Clemson University, the Choose Aerospace technical training program provides high school students with initial training required to become an FAA certificated mechanic. The program is active in 31 schools across 15 states and has nearly 600 students. Enrollment is set to grow, with 14 schools seeking to add the program and 300 additional students planned for the coming academic year.
 
"This grant will not only help grow the Choose Aerospace technical training program, but also will remove barriers to adoption so more institutions can join," said Choose Aerospace president and AAR Vice President Workforce Development Ryan Goertzen. "These career pathways are critical for the aviation industry, which faces a shortage of qualified mechanics. They also bolster career development programs, giving high school students an attractive pathway to high-paying jobs."
 
The FAA grant expands funding available to Choose Aerospace participants.
 
The organization also has an agreement with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education that covers training costs for up to 500 students in the state, where about half of the program's students are enrolled.
 
Choose Aerospace also received subaward grant funds from the City of Rockford, Illinois, that covers tuition for students in that community, which is an emerging aviation maintenance center of excellence.
 
The grants bolster support provided by other organizations, including many aviation companies that rely on a steady supply of qualified technicians. Choose Aerospace, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is proud to receive financial support from industry leaders such as AAR Corp. and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance.
 
Such support is key to Choose Aerospace's goal of helping foster a diverse, well-qualified pool of aviation maintenance technicians. The organization's target is to develop a program that fully supports pathway progression for 10,000 enrolled students by 2027.
 
About Choose Aerospace
Choose Aerospace is a partnership of aerospace stakeholders including companies, associations, labor unions, and education institutions, united to help ensure the availability of a diverse, qualified technical workforce. A primary objective for Choose Aerospace is to make aerospace career and technical training a priority in secondary schools and to provide multiple career paths to success within the industry. For more information or to learn how you can support Choose Aerospace's mission, see www.chooseaerospace.org.