TU receives $500,000 grant to begin aviation maintenance technician program

Apr. 11—THOMASVILLE- Thomas University recently received a $500,000 grant, secured by Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, to bring an aviation maintenance technician program to the university.

According to a press release issued by Warnock and Ossoff, the program will create a pipeline for 50 new students to fill the needs of the aviation maintenance industry.

The grant brings an exciting new chapter to Thomas University, which sees this money as the beginning of a five-year plan to hopefully implement a flight school.

Stephen Ferguson, Vice President of Military and Corporate Relations, said he and other faculty members began conversing about an aviation maintenance technician program a little over a year ago.

"As we were going through the program build and what it would take, we were looking for additional funds to help subsidize the build," Ferguson said. "It just so happened the FAA had re-authorized a grant for this particular type of grant, so we applied."

The grant will specifically target students from underserved areas to help bolster a workforce shortage.

"I've long said that America has a worker shortage problem, particularly in aviation," said Warnock. "But, the current workforce shortage is an opportunity to invest in the next generation of aviation workers — and I believe the entire education system has an important role to play in getting it done."

John Lohmueller, director of aviation mechanics, couldn't agree more.

"From a pilot and maintenance perspective, the industry is hurting, it's lacking," he said. "A lot of people have retired, but not many have joined. That is our intent with the program is to generate those high-paying, technical jobs for candidates."

TU has already been working with numerous companies including ATP Flight School and Gulfstream to pipeline the students once they have completed the 18-month course.

"Pipelining jobs won't be a problem at all," Lohmueller said. "It should be direct placement."

The announcement of the program and possibilities for direct placement has drawn great interest from local high school students and military personnel, especially those at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta.

"A lot of times in the military, a gentleman will get out and will only be able to have one license or the other based on experience, so we will be able to pipeline those veterans in and complete that program for them," Lohmueller said.

Ferguson said one of the positives of the program is its compensation, following the completion.

"On average, people with the certification make $75,000 a year," he said.

With that in mind, TU has been fielding calls since last year on when the program would begin. "It's really beginning to take off," Ferguson said. "I'm pretty confident we will get to the point we have a waitlist."

The waitlist is only the beginning of a two-phase plan, which would ultimately conclude with flight school.

Both the flight school and aviation maintenance technician program would use many donated materials.

"A lot of the grant was used to purchase these training aids," Lohmueller said. "They are portions of an aircraft put on a live board, so students have that hands-on. We have very strict guidelines we have to follow."

The classes are a combination of lectures held in the classroom and hands-on experience in a hangar at the Thomasville Regional Airport.

"We wanted to stay local," Lohmueller said. "I think it's important for them to see airplanes coming in and out and know what they would be dealing with."

Ferguson said this will continue TU's longstanding tradition of supporting the community and economic development of Thomas County and the south Georgia region.

For more information on the program, visit Thomasu.edu.