U.S. Senator Schumer Secures $500,000 for College’s Aeronautical Technology Institute to Grow Workforce Pipeline
“Hudson Valley Community College is committed to meeting the training the needs of the Capital Region’s workforce, and we are honored to receive $500,000 in the recently-approved federal appropriations bill to support one of the college’s new workforce development initiatives – the Aeronautical Technology Institute at the Albany International Airport.
This funding, advocated for by Senator Schumer, and supported by Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Tonko, will help fill critically-needed, good-paying career positions in New York’s commercial aviation industry. It will also allow the college’s new Aeronautical Technology Institute to fund scholarships for students from economically-disadvantaged geographic areas, and also help build out the infrastructure needed to provide the training.
We are exceptionally grateful to Senator Schumer for leading the charge to secure new funds for the Aeronautical Technology Institute. He recognizes that this investment will bolster training programs to support the aviation industry’s need and produce jobs that will benefit local residents and communities throughout the Capital Region. This new initiative will not only grow skilled talent here, but create opportunities for expansion at the airport and within our local and state economies as well.
The Aeronautical Technology Institute will offer a 12-month Aviation Maintenance Technician program that prepares students with the knowledge and skillset needed for required industry certifications and careers. Aviation mechanics and service technicians earn a median salary of $70,000 in New York State’s Capital Region, and with an aging workforce, an influx of newly-trained technicians is desperately needed.”
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In 2021, the college announced that it established a partnership with the Albany International Airport to create the region’s first aviation maintenance technician program as one part of the college’s new Aeronautical Technology Institute. The institute also aims to offer both degree and certificate programs and non-credit, short-term workforce training programs taught by college faculty.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the overall employment of aviation equipment mechanics and technicians is projected to grow five percent annually from 2019 to 2029. The NYS Department of Labor projects a 15.4 percent increase in demand for aviation mechanics and service technicians through 2026.
In addition, a survey of regional airlines flying out of Albany International Airport indicates that each airline expects an average projected need of up to 10 more aviation mechanics per year over the next five years.