Auburn University Doing Its Part to Ease Aviation Workforce Shortage

GA – Ten years ago, the aviation program at Auburn University in Auburn, Georgia, had 100 students. In contrast, by this fall it expects to have 700 undergraduates enrolled. The university’s School of Aviation trains pilots, aircraft maintenance technicians, and hangar service crewmembers. The program has been in operation for 80 years and is based at the Auburn University Regional Airport (AUO), with its fleet of more than 40 Cessna Skyhawks and Piper Seminoles. It is partnered with Delta Air Lines Aviation Education and is the only Part 141 school in Alabama.

The university also has affiliate programs with Delta and United Airlines and is seeking to include Southwest. The affiliate program gives students the opportunity to interview with the airlines during their senior year with the possibility of getting a contract immediately upon graduation. Auburn has an agreement with Southern Union State Community College where students can go for two years and receive airframe and powerplant certifications along with an Associate of Arts degree, then return to Auburn for two more years to receive their Bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management and have two years of experience under their belts.