by Chris Sasser,
Texas Transportation Institute
Whether it be traveling with their family on vacation or watching jet trails carve up the sky, the idea of flight has always fascinated kids. Now, thanks to a recent aviation education initiative by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), communities and schools throughout Texas have the resources to develop career paths in aviation.
In response to a 2003 report from the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), which documented the need for a comprehensive public education aviation program, the North Texas Aviation Education Initiative kicked off in May 2009. The goal of this initiative was to coordinate with regional industry and academic partners to create and implement a four-year aviation academic program. This initiative addressed the needs at various academic levels including university, community college, trade school, high school and junior high, as well as their combination with existing regional resources and industry outreach efforts.
“Aviation employment in Texas accounts for over 12 percent of the total U.S. aviation workforce, so addressing state aviation education is critical,” says Michael Mallonee, senior transportation planner with NCTCOG. ‘We identified this need in years past and now have the momentum to make things happen in North Central Texas that will also translate on a statewide level.”
Working with academic and industry partners, the study group found in their data analysis that there is a possible shortage of pilots and aircraft mechanics forecasted for both the state and region, and that none of the existing collegiate programs in the state are AABI accredited. Recently, the University of North Texas created a four-year program in aviation logistics at their Denton Campus.
“Our goal is to create the career paths for students,” says Mallonee. ‘We want to get them interested in aviation, give them that passion and show how great the industry is. There are so many opportunities for careers not only as pilots or air traffic controllers, but in areas such as engineering; maintenance and manufacturing. We want to get kids excited about aviation and provide them with the educational opportunities they need to get employed in the industry.”
“The state is better off, not just the region, from this aviation education initiative,” says initiative team member Jeff Borowiec, author of the 2003 report and who is also an Associate Research Scientist with TTI. “Communities can use the materials they developed, especially some of the outreach and strategic planning materials, and start thinking about how they can get some of the kids involved.”
Last February, NCTCOG released the results of the study on their Web site, which also includes curriculum and outreach materials for local communities to use. For more information and ways to be involved, please visit http://www.nctcog.org/ aviation education.
