Collins Aerospace unveils first aviation maintenance technician apprenticeship with Coastal Alabama Community College

• Four year program offers on the job training with college credit
  
• Addresses critical need for skilled workers

FOLEY, Ala. (May 2, 2019) – Responding to a critical need for aviation maintenance technicians, Collins Aerospace Systems has unveiled the first Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) apprenticeship with Coastal Alabama Community College at its aerostructures facility in Foley, Alabama. This four-year program will provide apprentices with on-the-job training, college credit toward an associate’s degree in airframe technology and a Federal Aviation Administration airframe license. Collins Aerospace is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

“Our 35-year history in Foley has given us a strong connection to this community and we are proud to offer local students an opportunity to combine education with experience and launch their careers in the growing aerospace industry,” said Marc Duvall, president of the Aerostructures business unit at Collins Aerospace. “To train the maintenance technicians we need while creating new jobs in Foley and supporting higher education – it’s a win for everyone involved.”

“We’re excited about the partnership between Coastal Alabama Community College and Collins Aerospace. This apprenticeship program adds another level to our current aviation work/study, and internship programs,” said Mark Sloan, director, Alabama Aviation Center at Coastal Alabama Community College. “Our students, Collins Aerospace, and our community’s workforce will benefit from this joint venture for years to come.”

This program, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor and benchmarked by the top apprentice programs globally, goes beyond the classroom by showing students with an interest in aviation and mechanics how to apply these skills in real life. These students will have the opportunity to work alongside mechanics in the facility.

In 2017, Collins announced the expansion of its Foley facility, and has exceeded its commitment to bring 260 additional jobs to the area and now employs over 1,000 people. This apprenticeship demonstrates Collin’s continued vested interested in developing the local Alabama workforce.