Cuesta College secured a grant to fund a feasibility study for a permanent facility to house its aviation maintenance technician program.
The college submitted a letter of intent to Uplift Central Coast and later received a grant of $250,000 that will help fund their feasibility study.
Dr. Jason Curtis, vice president of instruction at Cuesta College, says their proposal was among 36 selected projects out of 136 submissions sent to the coalition.
“We feel really fortunate to have had our proposal funded," said Curtis. "And we're just excited to get going with this feasibility study for a new facility."
The program is currently operating temporarily from ACI Jet’s facilities at San Luis Obispo County's regional airport.
Michael Wilson, the aviation maintenance technician program’s lead instructor, says this opportunity will help their program thrive.
“It's really just a blessing, and we're so excited,” said Wilson. “But just to see this come to fruition, you know, and to see this will give us a great opportunity to grow this program and fulfill this need that’s desperately needed in our industry.”
According to Cuesta College, a new facility will enable the institution to address the increasing demand for skilled aviation, unmanned systems, and urban mobility; support the region’s 8.3% projected job growth in aerospace technology and related fields; and expand access to high-wage technical careers
“A lot of people think that [in the program], you’re just working on airplanes,” said Wilson. “That’s just not the case. It is a skilled trade that with a federal license you’re allowed to do a lot of different things — from elevators to amusement parks, working on airplanes, all that stuff. Aerospace is going to be a huge part of it — and drones. Those are things that are going to be built by our students.”
KSBY News spoke with students at Cuesta College, who say the college provides them with various educational pathways to choose from.
“I think adding this is great,” said Aidan Lear, a Cuesta College student. “I mean, they just keep on expanding, and it's good to see.”
“The school is very good at offering lots of opportunities in a lot of different subjects,” said Gavin Vella, a Cuesta College student. “Even driving down the highway. You know, I see billboards that Cuesta [College] makes like, you know, within each new semester offering so many different programs.”
Dr. Jason Curtis says the next step after the feasibility study will be to identify the right spot for the new facility and find sources to fund the development.
