Statewide Program Helps To Get Aviation Training Off The Ground

CONCORD, NH – A New Hampshire Department of Education official was honored last week by the Federal Aviation Administration for his contributions educating students across the state who are interesting in pursuing a career in aviation.

Eric Frauwirth, the administrator of the Bureau of Career Development at the Department of Education, is overseeing a program that works with five schools across New Hampshire to provide training in areas of aviation study ranging from airplane manufacturing, piloting and drones.

The program allows each school to choose its own program that will meet state guidelines. Participating schools include the Nashua CTE Center, Manchester School of Technology, Mt. Washington Valley Career and Technical Center in Conway, Fall Mountain Regional High School CTE Center in Langdon and Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston.

As part of the program, students in Nashua will most likely focus on drones, students in Manchester will include an airplane build, and Conway will highlight flight training. Students completing any approved program will be eligible to sit for two FAA credentials — ground school and drone pilot.

Additionally, college partners including Nashua Community College, Southern New Hampshire University, and Hellenic American University are working with the team to establish dual enrollment credits and continued education for the graduating students.

“We are bringing together aviation education resources from across New Hampshire to offer students more options than they currently have at any single school,” Frauwirth said in a news release.

Prior to joining the Department of Education, Frauwirth spent the majority of his career in higher education, as both a teacher and administrator, with a focus on baking, pastry, and culinary arts. In his current role, he works closely with the 28 regional CTE centers to oversee and expand educational pathways for students.

According to the Department of Education, the current aviation industry forecast indicates there will be a dramatic shortage of skilled aviation maintenance professionals in the coming years and by 2030, the aviation industry will require more than 650,000 new commercial aviation maintenance workers.

The program overseen by Frauwirth and Virginia Schrader, the CTE director at Mt. Washington Valley Career and Technical Center, has the training programs set up at the five schools across the state. This fall, 14 New Hampshire students have enrolled in the new CTE aviation pathway in Conway, with a second cohort starting in the spring, the news release indicated. Additional schools are expected to submit applications to begin offering the program next fall.

“Innovation in education creates new paths to bright futures for all of our students,” Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “Eric and his team found a way to bring together high schools, colleges, private partners and the FAA to create a brand new pathway. The sky is the limit.”