SNC is an aerospace and defense company, and its partnership with the university will launch the SNC-Sinclair Academy.
Sinclair Community College and aerospace and defense company SNC have formed a partnership to launch the SNC-Sinclair Academy, an aviation workforce pipeline program. The SNC-Sinclair Academy will be the region’s first aviation pipeline program that was co-designed by an employer. The partnership includes a direct hiring pathway that will benefit students and SNC alike.
According to an article on Sinclair Community College’s website, Steven L. Johnson, who serves as the president and CEO of the college, was quoted as saying of the partnership, "The partnership with SNC is exactly what Sinclair envisions with workforce development - an opportunity for our students to walk straight onto a job site with a clear, fast track to a great career. Through the SNC-Sinclair Academy, our students get the inside track on the skills they need and a guaranteed seat at the table with one of the best employers in the region."
The SNC-Sinclair Academy features a framework that was jointly designed by Sinclair Community College’s Workforce Development leadership and Aviation Technology faculty and SNC. The Academy aims to create a pipeline of prepared and production-ready aerospace and aviation maintenance technicians. Throughout their time in the Academy, students will be evaluated through task performance assessments, reviews, and instructor evaluations that will produce “SNC Production Ready” graduates who will be hired on at the company to perform the roles it needs filled.
Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, who helped announce the new partnership, said, “This partnership between SNC and Sinclair Community College is exactly the kind of collaboration that strengthens Ohio’s workforce and keeps our state moving forward. Students succeed when employers and educators stay connected to what’s happening in the real world and work together to prepare young people for the opportunities ahead. Through the state's new WorkOhio program, we’re helping connect Ohioans to programs like this that open doors to meaningful careers and long-term success right here at home. The future of aerospace is being built in Ohio, and it’s exciting to see Dayton continuing to lead the way.”
Students will learn both FAA-standard content and content specific to SNC’s needs. They will do hands-on learning assessments, practice accuracy, time management, and FOD (Foreign Object Debris) control, structural repair and modification, airframe and powerplant systems, and avionics and electrical systems.
The partnership will begin with the Academy in phase one, and the partnership will grow around both Sinclair Community College and SNC. Future phases will include an onboarding bridge program, the exploration of a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, internship programs, instructor exchanges, and joint curriculum development, among others.
Mark C. Williams, the senior vice president and Dayton site executive for SNC, said, “The gap in skilled technicians is a big hurdle, which is why this partnership is so important. We’re working with Sinclair to make sure these technicians walk through our doors already knowing our systems inside and out. They won't just have a degree; they'll be ready to hit the floor running on day one."
Jeffrey A. Miller, the senior vice president for workforce development at Sinclair Community College, added, “The workforce gap in aviation and aerospace is real, and it’s urgent. The SNC-Sinclair Academy is designed from the ground up to be the kind of partnership that moves the needle, producing validated, credentialed, production-ready professionals.”
For more information about Sinclair Community College, visit the school’s website.