Avionics News May 2019 - 61

CAPABILITY,
TRAINING TOMORROW'S TECHNICIANS
Continued from page 57

NASA at Edwards Air Force Base, near Palmdale, California. Demand for our
students varies depending on NASA's workload and budget. They currently have
an apprenticeship position opening up, and we're looking to fill it.
It is a great opportunity, but it does require the student move around quite a bit.
Interns will typically move to the Palmdale area and work a half-year there, then
return to our program for one semester, then back to Palmdale, then back here, and
so on. It can be worth it though; it's a great learning experience, and our students
are often offered jobs with NASA after graduation.

Avionics News: Do you partner with local industry for support or guidance?
Richey: We hold advisory meetings twice per academic school year when
aviation-related community members come on-site. We have dinner together, then
discuss issues, concerns, and seek input and feedback.
Members of our advisory committee include aircraft maintenance program staff
and local aviation-related company representatives. The group also includes members of our school's administration and counseling staff. Participation is informative, and program staff members find it useful toward determining and developing
future curriculum.
They tell us that our graduates, in general, are well-qualified and are able to assimilate quickly. However, one fairly constant statement is that our students could
use more electrical training. For the past several years, we have been placing more
emphasis on electricity and electronics training.
Avionics News: Why are students coming to your school? Do you have
any programs to actively recruit new avionics students?
Richey: Students come to our program for several reasons. First, demand for
aircraft mechanics is currently high, both locally and nationwide, and the forecast
is for demand to stay high for decades. Second, we have a couple of military installations within driving distance, offering high pay and steady employment with
good benefits.
In addition, our program is price competitive for our students. Typical tuition
for our 18-month program is $3,500, while a local private training school charges
$35,000 for basically the same type of training.
Finally, our program has an excellent reputation, and our graduates are in great
demand. We do not actively seek avionics students, as avionics is blended into the
overall curriculum.
Avionics News: What are you hearing from industry on your placements
and your programs about the skill levels of your graduates?
Richey: Feedback from our advisory committee and interviews with graduated students are providing positive feedback. Our graduates continue to be in
high demand, and they feel like they were well-prepared to enter the workforce.
Employers tell us our graduates are doing a good job. Recently, a major defense
contractor from the Palmdale area interviewed eight candidates from our program
and offered jobs to seven of them. We are extremely proud of that. q
To learn more about the Reedley College aviation program, visit reedleycollege.
edu/academics/cte/aviation-maintenance-technology.html.

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avionics news

may

2019

http://reedleycollege.edu/academics/cte/aviation-maintenance-technology.html http://www.ciamfg.com http://reedleycollege.edu/academics/cte/aviation-maintenance-technology.html

Avionics News May 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News May 2019