Colleges and Schools Launch Aviation Mechanic Training Programs to Meet Airline Demand

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Rising Demand from Major Airlines

Schools across the U.S. are initiating new training programs to fulfill the needs of major airlines seeking qualified aircraft mechanics. Aviation mechanic technicians are in high demand at airports. United Airlines reports hiring almost 900 aviation mechanics this year, while American Airlines has generated more than 500 aviation maintenance positions this fall.

High School Program at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus

In Centennial, Colorado, the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus serves as a career preparedness facility for high school students, featuring a three-year aircraft mechanic training program. The newest addition is the Powerplant class, where students gain hands-on experience with helicopter and plane engines. After school in a hangar setting, they practice problem-solving skills, such as checking aircraft wiring for system faults. The program's end goal is passing the Federal Aviation Administration certification test to secure aviation mechanic jobs.

We started mainly with aircraft mechanics getting their airframe certificate. And then very recently we added the powerplant certificate to that. Now those students can leave our school with a full-what they call A&P and that allows them to go pretty much wherever they want. — David Williamson, instructor

Expanding College Programs Nationwide

Colleges in more than half a dozen states, such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Maine, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Texas, are also launching aviation maintenance technician programs. At Texarkana College, the program begins in January, directed by Brandon Sanders.

You have this massive industry. And you have this one key skill set that there's not a training infrastructure that's really built for. That creates a dynamic where you have a very low supply, a very high demand and the wages are going through the roof and you have a situation where employers are foaming at the mouth any and all amp mechanics to come on board. — Brandon Sanders, director of aviation at Texarkana College