The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Foundation and\nChoose Aerospace signed an agreement to establish a formal collaboration on\ntheir aviation education and workforce pipeline initiatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The parties will collaborate to \u201cidentify curriculum\nalignment, jointly promote each other\u2019s educational materials, and pursue grant\nfunding opportunities related to aviation,\u201d according to the memorandum of\nunderstanding. The organizations hope that efforts to share ideas, best\npractices, and training resources will help both to meet the ongoing and\nincreasing demand for pilots and mechanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key elements from the MOU, signed October 5, include review of curriculum benchmarks and competencies between the AOPA Foundation High School Aviation STEM Curriculum<\/a> and the Choose Aerospace Aviation Maintenance Curriculum<\/a>; cross-promotion of the curriculum and materials through websites, newsletters, social media, and joint presentations to schools\/districts and industry events; and exploration of grant funding proposals related to K-12 aviation education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent data distributed by Boeing Co. forecasts<\/a> the need for 649,000 pilots, 690,000 technicians, and 938,000 cabin crewmembers over the next 20 years according to the Pilot and Technician Outlook 2023-2042. Domestic air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and international travel is expected to return by 2024. Meanwhile, new sectors such as advanced air mobility are emerging and will demand a highly skilled workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AOPA Foundation and Choose Aerospace play key roles in\nhelping industry meet this this workforce demand, providing education,\ntraining, and employment pathways in the communities they serve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis agreement allows the AOPA Foundation and Choose\nAerospace to collaborate more closely,\u201d said Glenn Ponas, AOPA Foundation\ndirector of high school outreach. \u201cTogether, we will be able to provide our\nrespective curricula and resources to school districts and career technical\ncenters and support them in creating pathways to careers as pilots, drone\npilots, and aviation maintenance technicians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AOPA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of AOPA, and\nthe collaboration with Choose Aerospace is the first of multiple efforts from\nthe AOPA Foundation to document and coordinate aviation programs and resources.\nBy working to reduce the duplication of efforts and provide educators with a\ncomprehensive set of tools, the AOPA Foundation is attempting to build robust\naviation programs that can meet both student needs and fill regional and\naviation and aerospace workforce demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAviation industry stakeholders recognize the need to invest\nresources and collaborate as part of developing a sustainable, diverse\nworkforce,\u201d said Ryan Goertzen, Vice President Workforce Development at AAR\nCorp and President of Choose Aerospace. \u201cThe Choose Aerospace-AOPA Foundation\npartnership will help both organizations maximize their already-productive\nefforts to feed aerospace\u2019s workforce pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose Aerospace is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit partnership of\naerospace stakeholders joined together to increase the availability of a\ndiverse, qualified, technical workforce to support industry growth. The Choose\nAerospace two-year aviation maintenance technician general prep course\ncomplements the AOPA Foundation drone and pilot pathways, enabling districts\nwho participate to create direct pathways to three in-demand aviation careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The partnership will be introduced at the first AOPA\nAviation and Aerospace Workforce Development Summit, which will be hosted at\nthe Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport on November 12. The AOPA You\nCan Fly High School Aviation STEM Symposium will follow the summit, hosted\nNovember 12 through 14. Both events are open to organizations that offer high\nschool aviation curricula and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Register for the summit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n