Some middle and high school students in Rowan and surrounding counties will soon be getting visits from aviation educators. Maysville Community and Technical College has received funding from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand their outreach.
Officials said there is a critical shortage of pilots and aviation maintenance professionals in Kentucky and across the country. The $500,000 Aviation Workforce Development Grant from the FAA is meant to help address that need.
Shana Savard-Hogge is the Director of Grants and Contracts at MCTC. She said the money will allow them to do three things.
“It’s purchasing the equipment for us to expand our AMT program to offer that second year power plant curriculum. Then it’s doing workshops for career awareness in our high schools and it’s doing equity-based workshops for our middle school students,” said Savard-Hogge.
The second year power plant curriculum, supported by the grant, results in a Power Plant Maintenance Technician Certificate for students.
Savard-Hogge said the middle school workshops include a special effort to get girls, people of color and other minorities involved in this STEM field. The high school outreach will take a symposium career development approach.
“One of the things that we are purchasing under the FAA grant is some VR equipment. We’re going to get some augmented reality simulations so our students can sit in the driver’s seat. Have an up close and personal view of what it would look like to be in that type of career,” said Savard-Hogge.
Savard-Hogge said the goal of the middle and high school workshops is to get kids excited about Aviation Maintenance Technology and consider it as a career path. The AMT program at MCTC is supported through the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship, meaning students can graduate with an associate degree tuition-free and immediately enter the workforce.
The first cohort of Aviation Maintenance Technology students began their course work last fall.
