MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Demand for workers in the aviation industry is on the rise in Southwest Ohio, with 1,300 new roles for maintenance technicians projected by 2030, in addition to thousands of jobs for engineers, pilots, and air traffic controllers.
The new Butler Tech Aviation Center gives high school students an early start in breaking into the growing industry, with a novel three-year academic program packed with work-based learning. Local officials describe the $15.5M workforce development hub, which opened here in January, as an investment in both kids and the regional economy.
“People are looking for career fields that are steady and growing,” says Adam Snoddy, principal of the center, which is located next to the Middletown Airport.
Student interest isn’t a challenge, and not just because of career stability. Groups of eighth graders were visiting the facility on a recent morning, with uniform-wearing aviation center students leading the tours. The middle schoolers’ eyes lit up when they walked into the 8K square foot hangar and saw two airplanes, engines, and various tools.
“It’s got that wow factor,” Snoddy says. “The hangar is the one part, more than anywhere else, where it pops.”
The Details: Students get more career exposure in ninth grade, with a full immersion day at the center. Those who apply and are accepted by the public career-tech school enroll in 10th grade. Their coursework and training during the first year is designed to build a strong foundation in aviation.
The curriculum becomes specialized in 11th grade, as students choose a learning path in piloting, maintenance, or engineering for the next two years. Hands-on and project-based learning is a focus throughout, and students complete with personalized capstone experience during 12th grade. The open-concept center features labs and flight simulators, with each room serving multiple purposes.
Butler Tech serves roughly 41K students a year across six high school campuses and two adult education locations, with one more on the way. CTE enrollment is way up across the system, with growing demand for Butler Tech’s advanced manufacturing hub and bioscience center.
The aviation program can enroll more students with its new standalone facility, growing from 50 students per semester to 150. It also is seeking to add an adult education track in maintenance for recent high school grads.
Butler Tech tapped a range of sources to pay for the new center, including $7M each from the career tech system and Butler County, which drew from federal funding. The city contributed $500K, and an additional $1M came from JobsOhio, a unique private, nonprofit development corporation that’s wholly funded by managing the state’s liquor enterprise.
Snoddy, a former social studies teacher, describes the braided funding approach as an example of community and economic development, saying the center “would not have been possible without one-time funding from multiple partners.”
In addition to classroom and lab instruction, the aviation students can earn both FAA-recognized certifications as well as college credits.
On the Ground: In a brief ceremony at the center on a recent day, an instructor recognizes two students who earned commercial drone pilot licenses. Both are awarded a specialized patch for the sleeve of their uniforms.
Next up is the center’s maintenance instructor, who celebrates the first student to complete that pathway. It’s that student’s last full day at the center—he starts a full-time apprenticeship the next week.
Also visiting today to speak with students is a pilot from NetJets, a Columbus-based company. And workers from Modula, an Italian manufacturing company with a nearby facility housed at the former printing plant of the Dayton Daily News, are installing a large vertical storage unit in the center’s hangar.
Middletown is a short drive from Cincinnati and Dayton, both of which have thriving aviation sectors. Butler Tech partners with a growing number of companies across the industry, which Snoddy says is in the “economic DNA of the region.” Many of the students are willing to work in Cincinnati or beyond for the right gig, he says.
The Kicker: “They will have no problem finding a job,” says Snoddy. “Don’t underestimate your kids.”