AASHTO Journal - NCDOT Helps Launch New State Aviation Academy

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is helping establish a new academy for Lenoir Community College students seeking careers in aviation at the North Carolina Global TransPark, which the agency owns and operates.

[Above photo by the NCDOT]

Officially called the Aviation Center for Excellence, the new academy offers a variety of courses – such as aviation management and aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul – along with other coursework that will prepare students to be pilots, entry-level airline mechanics, and precision machinists.

It also includes an “Aviation Academy” geared toward high school juniors and seniors with an interest in aviation careers.

[Editor’s note: At the national level, the Federal Aviation Administration recently made $26 million available to develop the next generation of aviation professionals – funding to help strengthen the aerospace workforce pipeline, from mechanics and technicians to pilots and drone operators.]

The agency said some of the center’s coursework has been customized so students will have the skills and training for jobs with aviation companies at the TransPark – including Airbus and the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Center East aircraft, maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility.

“This new education and training center represents a launching pad for the next generation of North Carolina’s workforce,” said Governor Josh Stein (D) in a statement. “From this center, students will gain the high-tech skills they need to land rewarding aviation careers in the sky and on the ground. North Carolina is not just first in flight. We’re the future of flight. And we need a well-trained workforce to keep us soaring.”

“There is no better place for this Aviation Center for Excellence than right here at the North Carolina Global TransPark,” said Daniel Johnson, NCDOT secretary. “The Global TransPark was created to drive economic growth, innovation and opportunity for the surrounding communities, and this center will do just that.”

The development of this new aviation academy involved a partnership between Lenoir Community College, Lenoir County, and the Global TransPark and its tenants.

Across the country, state departments of transportation support the aviation sector in a variety of ways.

For example, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently provided nearly $10 million to support projects at eight airports statewide for facility improvements, infrastructure preservation, and development.

In April, the Kansas Department of Transportation issued $18.9 million to support 53 airport development projects statewide. By leveraging local matches, the awards will contribute $95 million in total improvements to the state’s aviation network, the agency said.