Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) of Monaca, Pennsylvania, has been awarded $285,441 through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s (ARC) Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE). The grant will support CCBC’s efforts to address critical workforce gaps in the aviation industry across 20 Appalachian counties in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
“In collaboration with workforce boards, flight schools, and educational partners, CCBC will build on its nationally recognized Aviation Pathway model to prepare students for in-demand careers as pilots and air traffic controllers,” said Dr. John Higgs, senior dean of the James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences.
According to Statista, global airline shortages are projected to reach 50,000 pilots by 2025, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Association reports that the FAA is short of nearly 4,000 air traffic controllers.
CCBC and its partners will contribute $323,305 in matching funds to the project. Partners include Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board, St. Vincent College, Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board, USAeroFlight, Piedmont Flight, High Flight Academy, and many others across the three-state region.
The project aligns with ARC’s goal of creating stronger multistate collaborations to build resilient economies across Appalachia. To date, ARC has invested $157 million in 56 collaborative, multistate projects through ARISE.
CCBC’s James M. Johnson School of Aviation Sciences partners with 22 flight providers in Pennsylvania and the southeast to offer online piloting training, while as a Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) school it operates its own tower.