ALABAMA MUSEUM TO ADDRESS WORKFORCE NEEDS

In August, the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama, announced that in the spring of 2022 it will begin offering dual enrollment in aviation and aerospace programs for high school students as a branch campus of the Alabama Community College System. The Museum will also offer transition training for military members into civilian aviation.

Brian Barsanti, Executive Director of the Museum, saw a gap in the industry workforce when he noticed that Baby Boom workers are retiring faster than they are being replaced by more recent generations. As a branch campus, the Museum will be partnered with Jefferson State Community College, Lawson State Community College, and Snead State Community College. To fulfill its new mission, the Museum has begun converting some of its hangar space into a workforce development center which will consist of both a hands-on technology lab as well as classroom space. In addition, the Museum has acquired 24 acres for possible use as a drone maintenance program currently under consideration. Delta Airlines has partnered with the Museum to support the programs.