A $500,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration awarded to the Fulton Leadership Academy is training the next generation of aviation workers. It’s a field that’s scouring for employees, and the East Point school is stepping in to help.
“Aviation has always been an area of focus for us, so much so that when we started in 2010, our charter included aviation and aeronautics learning,” said Christi Giddens, the school’s FAA grant program director. “When we found out about the FAA offering money to address the shortage of workers, we jumped at it.”
The school, whose focus is on boys from ages 6 to 12, was the only one in Georgia to receive an FAA grant to launch an Aviation, Career and Education camp to inspire more youth to consider careers in the field.
“It’s not just being a pilot or flight attendant,” said Giddens. “We thought it would be great to extend our reach to technicians as well, and this grant specifically targeted young people who want to be technicians and mechanics.”
The initial cohort of 15 students met in late June on the school’s campus and attended free, virtual sessions created through partnerships with experts from Wayne State University in Detroit and the Tuskegee NEXT program that helps under-represented youth get a toehold in the industry. The curriculum was based on one created by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
“We decided to work with other organizations to assist us in strengthening our own program and to make connections with professionals in the field,” said Giddens. “We’ll also send our staff to Wayne State to see how the ACE camp is run there. We’re shooting to have another one during the fall break this year and to have one-day Saturday sessions and camps during spring break.”
Toledo Gilmore, 15, spent his camp time learning about different career paths, building model airplanes and learning to fly drones.
“I always had an interest in planes and want to be a pilot, and I’m here to learn more,” he said. “I was surprised at how much work goes into one career path; I thought it was simple, but there’s a lot more involved.”
Christopher Birt, 16, has already started on a flying career path by working on his private pilot’s license.
“I came to camp to meet new people, do different things and make connections, but the highlight was seeing all the different careers in the aviation area,” he said.
The camp met its goal of helping minority students gain those insights, said Interim Principal Jannard Rainey.
“It let them explore things they don’t always see and gave them options in career paths,” he said. “And those pathways can change the dynamics of their lives.”
Information about the Fulton Leadership Academy is online at fultonleadershipacademy.net.
SEND US YOUR STORIES. Each week we look at programs, projects and successful endeavors at area schools, from pre-K to grad school. To suggest a story, contact H.M. Cauley at hm_cauley@yahoo.com or 770-744-3042.
