West Star Aviation is partnering with Southwestern Illinois College to launch West Star Aviation Academy (WSAA) at West Star’s East Alton, Illinois, facility. The goal is to develop an accelerated program that will incorporate an FAA-sanctioned Part 147 curriculum able to turn out certified Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) faster than traditional programs that typically take from 18 to 30 months.
According to the West Star announcement, “Our first WSAA cohort will include hiring 25 apprentices who will spend seven and a half months learning and earning wages and benefits through a full-time educational curriculum, coupled with hands-on practical training, mentoring and job shadowing in preparation for apprentices to test for their FAA license.”
West Star CEO Jim Rankin said, “For apprentices, it’s an opportunity to make a living while learning a highly skilled technical trade in less than a year. For West Star Aviation, WSAA will help ensure that we continually have a strong pipeline of skilled and licensed technicians to deliver industry-leading MRO services to business aviation customers worldwide.”
To be named the Choose Aviation program, the curriculum will be taught in a dedicated West Star learning hangar, along with West Star’s proprietary AMT technical training. Katie Johnson, VP of human resources at West Star Aviation, said, “WSAA ensures a complete standard of formal education, practical hands-on training, and on-the-job training to enhance the work-readiness of new technicians, while substantially increasing our access to qualified talent to meet our ongoing customer needs for service work.”
