Dayton, OH Area Becoming Hub For Aviation Education
Delta and United Airlines are partnering with Air Camp, Inc. in the Dayton, OH area in an effort to grow the pool of STEM-educated graduates to bolster the aviation job market.
The Dayton Daily News reports that United has made "significant donations" to the program, a Dayton-area not-for-profit organization that has made summer camp programs available to students since 2010. The program, modeled after the Space Camp concept, has seen significant growth over the past eight years.
United will be flying in more than 70 teachers from several of their hub cities to attend Teaches Air Camps in July, according to the report.
Vince Russo, Air Camp Inc. co-founder and president, told the paper that the goal is to have a program that gains national recognition like Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. The program has grown from about 40 seventh, eighth and ninth grade students at its inception to an anticipated 300 students this year, Russo said. The organization is considering adding programs for high school students as well.
Delta airlines is partnering with the Miami Valley Career Technology center, which trains students to become certified aircraft mechanics. The carrier is giving students the opportunity to work with their training equipment, according to a news release from the school.
Delta Air Lines created partnerships with 49 AMT schools across the United States. Delta Tech Ops evaluated these schools and found what they determined met FAA standards as well as Delta’s high principles that exceed industry standards. After site visits and meeting with MVCTC instructors and administrators, Delta announced that MVCTC had been selected as one of the AMT schools they will be partnering with for the 2018-2019 school year.
The partnership with Delta will allow MVCTC to have access to Delta equipment for instruction and will broaden students’ access to the benefits of AMT careers available within the global aviation industry. Delta has a five-year training program for certified AMTs to start their career. Students that successfully complete the MVCTC program may have the opportunity to join the Delta training program and start their career with Delta Air Lines.
The MVCTC program is regularly inspected by the FAA to ensure compliance with all regulations. As one of only four high schools in the state with this rigorous curriculum, MVCTC is a natural choice as a new partner for Delta Air Lines, according to the release.
(Image provided with MVCTC news release)