Program Was Nearly Cancelled For Lack Of Interest

An aviation program offered to high school students in Hernando County, FL that was nearly cancelled due to low enrolment now appears set to start classes ... albeit a bit late following the start of the school year.

In a news release earlier this month, the school district said that the school board approved a partnership between the district and Corporate Jet Solutions to support a new aerospace technology program, modeled after a similar program at Kathleen High School in Polk County, on July 29. Corporate Jet Solutions, an affiliate of Dyenamic Aviation Services, moved to the Brooksville Tampa Bay Regional Airport in July 2013. Corporate Jet Solutions currently has 20 full-time employees and is one of two fixed-base operators at the airport.

Experts anticipate that there will be too few highly-trained people available to fill all the job openings in the aviation industry in the near future, Corporate Jet Solution’s Vice President Bradley Dye said. “There hasn’t been a real plan in our industry to train people to replace all the pilots, technicians and mechanics, many of whom will retire in the next 10 to 15 years,” Dye said.

The program includes a sequence of four courses leading students toward industry certification. Students will also have opportunities to continue their training as part of planned aerospace technology programs to be offered at Suncoast Technical Education Center, according to Sophia Watson, the district’s supervisor of adult and community education. The high school program will admit approximately 25 new students per year and eventually plans to relocate to facilities at the airport.

But according to the Tampa Bay Times, only eight students had applied by the original deadline a week ago Friday, and it needed 10 to begin. They left enrolment open another week, and school district spokesman Eric Williams said that the school district contacted each of the 65 students that had expressed an interest in the program in a recent survey, and principals at the district's high schools also promoted the program during the first week of school.

The result? Enrollment is up to 12 students, and the program is set to begin classes.

After the third course, students will be eligible to obtain an FAA ground school certification. However, if they wish to pursue a private pilot certificate, the students are on their own to get flight instruction.

FMI: http://hernandoschools.org