Hiring aviation techs from EMCC

MAYHEW, Miss - Columbus resident Teresa Brooks recently completed the Composite Manufacturing course at East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) and is enrolled in its Avionics and Cabling program. Both courses are 10-to-12 weeks and teach skills needed by regional aircraft manufacturers, such as Airbus Helicopters Inc., Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences. Brooks already works as a wiring technician at Stark. “Some of the stuff we learned in the Avionics and Cabling class are things that have been integrated at Stark Aerospace," said Brooks. Some of those classes are taught by Stark Aerospace employees, using, when possible, materials and equipment of their unmanned aerial systems and sensors. EMCC students learn avionics wiring, which includes reading schematics, determining what size wires to use in different applications, soldering, and wiring terminals and plugs, among other things. Students in Composite Manufacturing learn techniques for building aircraft parts. On local manufacturer is expected to ramp up hiring for those who complete the Avionics and Cabling course. But the courses aren’t for everyone. Before students can enroll in either of the programs, they must first score a silver or better on the ‘WorkKeys’ assessment, which is available at EMCC and measures students' proficiency in Workplace Documents, Applied Mathematics and Graphic Information. They must also complete an eight-week Manufacturing Skills-Basic course at EMCC that is required by local manufacturers. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 06/23/18)