Rebecca MacPherson, a regional administrator with the Federal Aviation Administration, told a group gathered at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood about a need and an opportunity.
The aerospace industry, she said, had seen a reduction in qualified workers and would need an influx of 200,000 people between now and 2039.
If women and minorities filled many of those positions, she said, that would be a move in the right direction.
“Historically the industry has done a really good job of attracting white boys,” MacPherson said. “We really have to do a good job of widening the net.”
Among those exploring aerospace options were Alondra Sandoval. Watching her dad fix his car rather than take it to a mechanic inspired her to pursue a career involving that same hands-on, can-do capability.
So when Sandoval, a student at John Hancock College Prep on Chicago’s Southwest Side, heard about the Aviation Tech Program at Olive-Harvey College, she popped into a recent open house, where MacPherson made her pitch. Sandoval said she liked fixing things and hoped to learn more about the mechanics involved in aviation.
Officials at the college would like to lure students like Sandoval to a general certificate program they can complete while still in high school, or a more involved associate degree program the focuses on aircraft sheet metal modification and repair and general aircraft function.
“I feel like I’m very much an explorer,” said Sandoval, one of about a dozen high schoolers who came to the recent open house. “I’m trying to see if aviation is my thing and I’m going to find my passion.
The open house took place right after the college’s graduation ceremony for six students who recently completed the 10-week Aviation Tech certificate program. Tuition for the program is $2,500, though a grant program can help students pay for the cost.
Trevon Miller, one of those graduates, has already been offered an apprenticeship at AAR, a global aviation services company headquartered in Chicago. Miller has been working as a machine operator at a factory, but because he’s good at math, he’d been told by several people he should try out the program. Miller lives in Hammond, Indiana, but like most attendees is from the South Side.
“I love working with tools,” said Miller, who hopes his apprenticeship will turn into a full-time job. “I’m still a little mellow about it but maybe I’ll show a little excitement later.”
Vladimir Thomas, who also just graduated, said he learned a great deal from the program, from the mechanics of how planes work to how to patch a corroded sheet of metal.
“We learned calculations of how to place those things on metal. Everything was new. We’re going to make mistakes (at first),” said Thomas, of Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood, adding he had to stop being a perfectionist during that beginning practice phase.
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Brad Stark, who teaches the programs, told the high school students they would get familiar with tools and other materials used on aircraft. The recent graduates had to put the wings back on a small airplane at the college after they had been removed for easier transport.
“Anything they learn on a small aircraft can be applied to a big airplane,” said Stark.
Stark said the programs were important to the college and students because they offered an affordable way to enter a great profession.
“It’s important because students who would not otherwise have an opportunity to go to a school that teaches it, it gives them that opportunity,” said Stark, who has worked in the aerospace fields for 25 years. “It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be interesting and we’re going to have fun.”
MacPherson, of the FAA, said Olive-Harvey College could help meet that goal.
“Community colleges really allow you to provide the same level of training at a much lower cost,” she said. “They bring in a much more diverse pool.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.