Orlando Explores New Aviation Training Center

Aviation is a growing industry, and that means manufacturers, flight schools, airlines and maintenance shops all need trained workers. To fill that need, a coalition of business and education leaders in central Florida is working on a plan to build a new aviation-themed campus at Orlando International Airport, the Orlando Sentinel reported on Tuesday. The campus would involve a half-dozen colleges, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Florida Institute of Technology, the universities of Central Florida and South Florida, Valencia Community College, and the National Aviation Academy, a Tampa-based trade school for aircraft mechanics. The airport campus would offer courses in a wide range of aviation topics, from avionics and aerospace engineering to human resources and transportation logistics, according to the Sentinel. Companies such as AirTran, JetBlue Airways, Continental Airlines, Cessna Aircraft and FlightSafety International need workers in the Orlando area. The plan is still in a preliminary stage, and millions of dollars would have to be raised. But supporters say it would be a good investment in the region’s economic future