Here’s a peak into Prairie High School’s new aviation pathway

CEDAR RAPIDS — A career pathway new to Prairie High School this year aims to put interested students on direct paths to earn a Federal Aviation Administration mechanic certification.

Twenty 11th-graders are enrolled in the first year of the two-year aviation pathway program at Prairie High School in the College Community School District in Cedar Rapids.

“What our pathways are all about is being responsive to workforce trends and the industry needs of our community,” Superintendent Doug Wheeler said.

Aviation mechanics inspect the engines, landing gear, instruments, pressurized sections, accessories, electrical systems and other parts of the aircraft, and do the necessary maintenance and replacement of parts.

An aging workforce, lack of awareness of aircraft mechanic as a career, and increased demand for air travel are resulting in a shortage of thousands of aircraft mechanics.

Estimates predict there will be about 13,000 job openings annually for aviation mechanics over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The shortage already is leading to maintenance delays and causing disruptions such as canceled flights.

Wheeler said it’s a “lucrative” career path students might not be aware of. At the airport, “there’s a pilot, a flight crew and some people at the gate, but there’s all these other career opportunities in aviation. They might only think about the mechanic when the flight’s delayed,” he said with a chuckle.

Wheeler said in its second year, he expects the aviation pathway to be at capacity with about 50 high school juniors and seniors.

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The curriculum for Prairie’s aviation pathway is called Choose Aerospace, which is intended for use in a high school classroom and created to meet the growing demand for aviation technicians.

Students who complete the Choose Aerospace coursework can pursue FAA mechanic certification through work experience or by finishing the required coursework through certified aviation maintenance schools including Kirkwood Community College.

The pathway is being taught by Prairie High School teacher Joshua Eaton.

Kirkwood’s program was approved by the FFA in 2023 and began offering classes that fall.

While Prairie’s program is not directly connected to Kirkwood, Wheeler said they are encouraging students in the aviation pathway to take other dual-credit courses like language arts and math, ensuring they graduate high school with college credit.

This month, Prairie students visited Kirkwood’s aviation program at The Eastern Iowa Airport for hands-on experience, including safety wiring, checking spark plugs and fabricating a replacement fuel line.

Sarah Dollmeyer, a student recruitment and retention specialist with Kirkwood’s transportation programs, said what Prairie’s aviation pathway was teaching students was what Kirkwood’s students learn in their first semester of the program.

“It’s extremely important getting that experience in high school and figuring out if it’s the pathway they want to choose,” Dollmeyer said.

Marty Lenss, director of The Eastern Iowa Airport, said it was exciting for students to learn about workforce opportunities in aviation when mechanics were “desperately needed.”

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“How rewarding would that be to see today’s high school students go through the program at Prairie, graduate, pass their certificate program through the FAA and have a job right here?” Lenss said.

The aviation pathway is the most recent of college and career readiness programs offered in the College Community district as they aim to personalize the student learning experience. Since 2020, the district has launched pathways in agriculture, medical science and culinary arts.

“It’s what we all got into education for,” Wheeler said, “helping students find their passion and be excited about their future.”

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