MCTA Introduces Aviation Maintenance Scholarship

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A scholarship through the Mahoning and Columbiana Training Association will provide aviation mechanics students as much as $9,500 annually for two years.

The scholarship is available to students training at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. It can be used to cover books and fees, according to a press release.

“MCTA offers a fantastic program that creates a pathway to employment for talented hands-on learners who may not otherwise be able to afford the cost of training and testing that is required to start aviation maintenance careers,” says PIA President and CEO Suzanne Markle.

The MCTA program has been used by more than 30 PIA Youngstown campus graduates to vault them into careers in aviation maintenance or related mechanical fields at companies such as ATI Aviation Services, Constant Aviation, Endeavor Air and PSA Airlines.

Recent legislation by state Rep. Jon Cross, R-83 Ohio, would exempt Ohio college graduates from state income tax for three years if they accept an in-state position, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor in May 2020, the average salary for aviation maintenance was $66,440 – growing 11% between 2020 and 2030. Boeing Co.’s 2021-2040 Pilot and Technician Outlook states the commercial airline industry needs to add 132,000 new maintenance technicians over the next two decades – more than 6,000 a year.

“The primary focus of the MCTA program is always employability,” says Laura Gatrell, MCTA’s Mahoning County adult services coordinator. “Through our workshops and assessments, we match young adults to the educational and training opportunities that will help them obtain employment in secure and stable careers that are considered ‘top jobs’ by the Ohio Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.