Jobs A-Plenty with Local Training

 

 

By Greg Wells

CCN—Editor

 

According to one Wall Street research firm nationally, there are between 8-12% more jobs than there are qualified candidates for one special group of tradespeople, and the shortage is projected to grow to 20% by 2028.

That company also points out that 35% of the current workforce in that industry is between 55 and 64 years old, putting more than 1/3 at or near retirement age.

Back in 2023, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the median wage at $75,020 per year, which is up from that agency’s report of median wages as $65,380 per year in 2021.

Another federal agency reports that this year there are 5338 jobs unfilled in that field, and projects more than 7,000 unfilled jobs in 2027.

In fact, the United States Congress took action a few years ago to make it quicker to get training for these jobs.

Donnie Hammons, Aviation Program Coordinator at Somerset Community College, said that action by Congress shortened training to just 4 semesters.

If you have to pay your own hard cash for the training, tuition is currently at $2,500 a semester, which equals $10,000 for a two-year degree.

However, most of the recent high school graduates don’t pay anything for the training, and there have been other programs to help laid-off or aged-out workers’ pay for the program, Hammons explained.

Current industry estimates set the starting pay for a new A&P mechanic at between $40,000 and $55,000, which is between $25 and $35 an hour depending on location. Airframe and Powerplant, which refers to the two main components of an aircraft: the structure (airframe) and the engine (powerplant), is what A&P stands for.

An A&P mechanic just happens to be what the program at Somerset Community College trains.

 

 

After those two years of training, you can’t immediately go out and twist a wrench on an aircraft engine, jet or piston, or start shaping aluminum for a wing repair. First, there are tests, beyond the ones you take in class.

Hammons said that for the full certification by the Federal Aviation Administration, you have to take a test for airframe, maintenance, and powerplant maintenance.

But he said the classes are broken up into training for one specialty and then the other, with a chance to take the federal test after each section. He said it is unusual for anyone entering the field to choose just one of the specialties.

Once you graduate and pass your tests, you become an entry-level A&P mechanic. Being “entry-level” means you only make that industry average $40,000 and $55,000 starting pay, rather than a $70,000 plus wages of the “median” worker in the field.

Those who go through the training course don’t all go on to become certified immediately, however, since some go to work for manufacturing or other companies in the field of aviation rather than repair shops at the many airports across the country.

Jobs at commercial airlines, keeping those passenger and cargo planes in the air, are among the higher paying, Hammons said.

SCC’s aviation program has been an operation for over 50 years, graduating 12 to 25 students almost every semester, because a new class starts every semester at SCC.

Hammons said that the classes cannot be larger than 25, due to FAA regulations. That same group sets the basics for the curriculum as well.

This isn’t all textbooks and classrooms, however, Hammons explained.

“Each day is split between classroom and labs,” he said.

 

 

In those “labs” are jet engines, radial piston engines, single-engine and multiple engine, piston and jet aircraft, as well as helicopters and a glider.

There are also things that look like they are straight out of a university physics program, boards made up of electrical, hydraulic, and other systems that can be worked with physically, rather than simply staring at schematics.

Hammons said the program is strictly dedicated to creating A&P mechanics; there is no pilot training program at SCC. He said they have considered establishing one, but with Eastern Kentucky University’s massive pilot training program so close by, it doesn’t make sense.

He said other colleges and universities that have pilot training programs have come by to get tips on setting up A&P mechanic programs but generally decide to stick with pilot training.

Start-up for such a program is prohibitively expensive, utilizing a variety of aircraft types, including general aviation planes, rare models like the Twin Champ, gliders, helicopters (including turbine-engine rotorcraft), and jet engines from military and commercial sources.

Hammons said the college has purchased some of the aircraft and engine engines, but many have been able to get through donations.

When an aircraft has reached its end of service life in the air, it can go to a training program like the one at SCC to teach new people how to work on them. When they reach the point that the aircraft isn’t ideal for training, Hammons said they are donated to fire departments or other rescue agencies for them to use for training.

A new class starts every semester, and Hammons says they usually have at least 12 to 14 new students entering each class, and a majority of them complete after their four semesters, and the majority of them take the FAA tests.

Many of the graduates of the Somerset program go on to work on commercial aircraft, including those at UPS. He said the recent crash in Louisville hit home for many of the students, graduates and instructors.

And among those instructors, Hammons said, are many graduates of the program in Somerset, which has been training students since 1971.

Find out more by contacting SCC’s aviation program on the Internet, or if you’re still in high school, contact your guidance counselor. For those looking to change careers, speaking with the folks at Workforce Kentucky is a good idea; newkentuckyhome.ky.gov/workforce/ would be a good website to start with.