The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation has entered an agreement with Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania that allows high school students to receive college credit for completion of the AOPA Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM Curriculum.
As part of the agreement, any student nationwide that completes the 9th, 10th, and 11th grade portions of the AOPA curriculum can receive up to 10 college credits. To be eligible, students must matriculate to CCBC’s main campus or one of its satellite campuses across PA the semester following their graduation. Students will earn credit for courses AVIP120-Foundations and Development of Aviation, AVIP160- Private Pilot Flight Theory and AVIC160-Flight Theory Fundamentals 1.
According to an AOPA “End of Year” report for 2023-2024, the curriculum was served in 960 high schools across 46 states and the District of Columbia, with over 22,000 participating students.
As part of the courses, high school students are put through foundational topics such as aviation history and aircraft systems. Beginning in 11th grade students are able to choose a specific area of study – a pilot or drone pathway – that they will follow until graduation. The courses are designed to open up routes to aviation careers for teens.
“CCBC is excited to enter into this agreement to advance and support the foundation’s goal of unlocking pathways to aviation careers for teens,” said Dr. John Higgs, dean of the James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences. “As a result, we are ensuring that high school students can economically leverage CCBC’s expertise in aviation education and accelerate towards successful careers as pilots, air traffic controllers, or other industry professionals.”
Tuesday, Canadian technology company, CAE, released a report estimating 1.5 million new aviation professionals will be needed globally over the next 10 years, including 300,000 pilots, 416,000 maintenance technicians, 678,000 cabin crew, and 71,000 air traffic controllers, highlighting the necessity of programs like the agreement between CCBC and the APOA Foundation.
For its part, the US government has been looking to stimulate job growth and opportunities in the aviation industry. In May, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new portion of his “supercharge” program that looks to fast track the hiring of more air-traffic controllers. Just two days after Duffy’s announcement, legislation was introduced into both chambers of Congress, pointed at providing tax-sheltered plans for educational-aviation opportunities.
Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA), who is co-leading the legislation, worked as a flight attendant for 30 years.
“We need to be giving our young people more opportunities to chase their dreams in an affordable way that builds our economy and strengthens our travel industry,” McBath said. “The challenges we are seeing make it all the more important that we support hard-working Americans pursuing careers in our aviation industry.”
