Ivy Tech-Northeast aviation program awarded grant
Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
Ivy Tech-Northeast aviation program awarded grant
Staff Reports
Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2012
Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast has been awarded a $1.5-million federal grant that could add course offerings and reduce education material costs for students in its aviation maintenance technology program.
The $1.5 million was Ivy Tech-Northeast's share of a $14.9-million U.S. Department of Labor grant awarded to the National Aviation Consortium, which includes four other community colleges that will receive funding.
The consortium was created by the Labor Department and Wichita Area Technical College to accelerate training and get enough students certified in aviation maintenance technology to address a skilled worker shortage.
A statement on the grant said the consortium wants to fill 2,500 aviation maintenance technology jobs for which employers could not find workers with the necessary skills in the five states where the community colleges are located.
During the next five years, Ivy Tech-Northeast expects to get an average of 100 students certified annually, with some of those credentials earned in new certification programs the school will help develop.
The new certification programs will cover areas such as assembly mechanics, composite repair, electrical assembly, health safety, quality assurance and tooling.
Ivy Tech-Northeast will work on the development of the new certification programs with Atlantic Aviation, Comlux America and Pinnacle Airlines.
The funding was awarded to the consortium as part of the Labor Department’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training grant program.
“This grant will focus on training for TAA-eligible dislocated workers, veterans and others seeking work in the aviation industry,” Jim Aschliman, executive director of Ivy Tech Corporate College in Fort Wayne, said in a statement.
“With the recent dedication of our new $2.3-million aviation center at Smith Field Airport, the timing for this announcement could not have been better.”
