A Youth Career Connect grant awarded to the Pima County One-Stop has room for seven more high school juniors to take off in a career as an aviation technician, complete with free tuition, books, and fees. One catch: Students must book their seats before classes begin on August 17.
The offer, made possible through a partnership with the One-Stop, Pima Community College, and the Pima County JTED, also includes paid summer learning opportunities and a paid summer internship in the aviation field upon completing the program.
Students’ tuition to Pima Community College will be covered for the two years they are enrolled in high school as a Pima County JTED student, and the following two years while they continue to earn their Airframe and Powerplant certification.
Pima College Aviation instructor Derek Bakehouse says aviation technicians might start off earning $15 to $18 per hour, but many jobs pay $20 to $30 per hour. It’s not unheard of, he said, for second- or third-year graduates to make $100,000 annually. Tom Hinman, who runs the aviation program at Pima College says that one industry publication predicts that industry growth and retirements will mean a half a million aviation technicians are going to be needed in coming years. Bakehouse says, “The only graduates of ours who don’t end up working in aviation are the ones who don’t want a job.”
Students who are high school juniors and interested in the program should contact Tim Murphy at the Pima County JTED District Office at (520) 352-5833 or email tmurphy@pimajted.org