Paula Kedy Provides Remarks about Aerospace Education Partnerships
The Metro Tech Aviation Campus at the Will Rogers World Airport hosted an open house on Friday to celebrate the completion of extensive renovations designed to enhance the educational environment for students and staff.
A total of $1.8 million in renovations have been made to the facility, including new flooring, roof overlay, front reception desk, furniture, reconstructed ceilings, painting of interior walls, remodeled restrooms, and custom millwork.
Metro Tech Superintendent Aaron Collins said the refurbished learning spaces are a testament to the district's commitment to providing the industry with a high-quality workforce.
"As we continue our mission to provide quality career training, our newly renovated Aviation Campus will offer a modern learning environment for countless future maintenance technicians," Collins said. "We're striving to ensure our students and staff have the best possible resources to succeed and thrive in their educational and professional pursuits."
The campus houses Metro Tech’s Day and evening Aviation Maintenance Technician programs for adult students and saw 73 graduates in fiscal year 2023 with a 79% positive placement rate.
Speaking to educators, students, and stakeholders, Brent Haken, Director of the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech said, “I am very pleased with the commitment that all of you, our partners, have made because the workforce is not an I or me, it is very much a team sport. No single agency, no single system can do that alone and we are very fortunate to have you here today to unveil what is the commitment we have to the aerospace industry.”
Paula Kedy, MA.Ed., Statewide Aerospace STEM Education Manager for the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics spoke to the assembly including CareerTech, Tinker Air Force Base, the 137th Special Operations Wing, and the Department of Airports with the City of Oklahoma City, about the importance of the work happening in Oklahoma high schools through the AOPA “You Can Fly” curriculum which is currently vectoring over 4,000 public school students toward aerospace careers.
“I am pleased that many Oklahoma schools are implementing the AOPA high school curriculum, and that other districts have begun rolling out the Choose Aerospace maintenance curriculum. This summer, Oklahoma teachers have attended training in both of those curriculum programs to help them prepare students for career tech and university aviation pathways,” said Kedy. “As a long-time educator, I understand that developing a framework of statewide partnerships is the key to meeting our state’s workforce needs, and I am pleased that Oklahoma leaders have made aerospace education a priority. It takes all of us working together to provide high-quality aerospace programs for Oklahoma students.”