Oklahoma's Aerospace industry Takes off, Workers Needed

By Mark Schlachtenhaufen
Reprinted with permission from Oklahoma Publishing Today
11/09/2006

Oklahoma's aerospace industry is taking off:

--The industry has more than 400 companies that directly or indirectly employ more than 143,000 people with a payroll of $4.7 billion and an industrial output of $11.7 billion.

--A 10-county region in central Oklahoma contains at least 265 government and private aerospace employers that provide more than 73,000 direct and spin-off jobs.

--Tulsa is ranked 8th nationally for the size of its aerospace engines manufacturing cluster and 20th for its defense-related cluster.

--Last month, Micco Aircraft, which manufactures aerobatic sport planes, relocated from Florida to Frank Phillips Field in Bartlesville. The company, which currently has four employees, expects to have 60 workers within a year.

--In July, the Tulsa-based NORDAM Group announced that it needs 260 engineers and skilled assembly workers.

--SpiritAerosystems, another Tulsa company, may fill up to 1,200 jobs that qualify for state incentives under Oklahoma's Quality Jobs program.

Tulsa Tech Aviation Maintenance
Technology program

All that good news leads to a good problem to have - the growth in Oklahoma's aerospace industry is outpacing the supply of trained workers in the state.

What's behind the growth? Aerospace companies across the state continue to add high-tech jobs, announce new contracts and cite a need for additional employees with increasing frequency, said Larry Findeiss, executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance (OAA), a recently created industry advocate group.

And the Legislature passed HB 1577 last year, which eliminated a competitive disadvantage by repealing the sales tax on parts used in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, the heart of the industry in Oklahoma. While most neighboring states had no such tax, Oklahoma charged 4.5 percent on each sale. Both Gov. Brad Henry's Aerospace Task Force and the OAA, created in 2004, recommended the legislation, proposed by the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission.

Presently, Oklahoma is manufacturing numerous airplanes due to growth in companies like Boeing and those that build business jets, Findeiss said. Plus, the U.S. military is building several next-generation aircraft, generating jobs in the state. Other need is being created in the aircraft maintenance and repair operation sector, the heart of Oklahoma's aerospace industry. American Airlines has a large maintenance facility in Tulsa

Students working in the Tulsa Tech Aviation Maintence Technology program

Tulsa Tech Aviation Maintenance
Technology program

"It's just an awfully good time for the industry in Oklahoma," Findeiss said. "All of the sectors are on historic highs."

The state's CareerTech system is helping bridge the gap between the amount of workers available and the need in the aerospace industry. H.L. Baird, CareerTech's aviation program specialist, said the system is an adaptable and flexible one that always has worked well to discern industry needs and in training workers. Baird said CareerTech also prides itself on delivering trained workers in a manner that meets industry schedules

Vic Bird, director of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, said there is a need in the Oklahoma City area, specifically with companies operating at Will Rogers World Airport, for airframe and powerplant workers. "The lifeblood that allows us to be able to grow is having a competent, skilled workforce and CareerTech has always been a great partner," Bird said.

Six CareerTech campuses located at Tulsa, Shawnee, El Reno, Oklahoma City and Altus offer aviation maintenance training programs. The maintenance technology training is aimed at preparing students for the FAA airframe and powerplant certificate testing, and all facilities are certified under FAR Part 147 training regulations. High school students may start training in their junior year and their tuition is free.

Findeiss said companies across the state contract with various CareerTech centers. For example, a majority of graduates from MetroTech Aviation Career Center and Gordon Cooper Technology are employed by Tinker, which has an annual heavy need for FAAcertified mechanics.

A CareerTech internship program helps high school graduates get the skills they need to work in the aerospace industry in which both worker and employer get to try each other out. Findeiss said other efforts are being made to retrain workers recently laid off by large companies like GM.

The industry also is working with higher education to supply candidates to fill engineering jobs, Findeiss said. State officials want to work with Oklahoma graduates and help keep them in the state, he said.

Findeiss said there just aren't enough workers in the state to fill the current job openings. The industry has a lot of positives to offer prospective employees, like high-paying jobs, long-term stability and forward-thinking leaders, he said.

Bird said the statewide average salary for aerospace industry workers is $54,719 per year, compared to a $29,000 average for other jobs. Workers can make the transition in just two years of training

MetroTech graduate Korey Bush sought a career change. An aviation maintenance technician, he got a job with Delta Airlines with starting pay of $19 an hour. After six months, he was making $23 an hour. One year after being hired, he was making $26.50 an hour plus overtime and benefits. Tuition at MetroTech was less than $5,000.

Bush said he likes the fact that his instructors have real-world experience and that they teach the fundamentals of aircraft, important knowledge as aircraft become more sophisticated and complex. Bush started his training at a Texas private school, which had two partial planes to work on. MetroTech had about 12, including a corporate jet and a 727.

TulsaTech's center includes a fully functioning 727.

Korey Bush, MetroTech graduate

Korey Bush, MetroTech graduate

Baird said employers are very pleased with the quality of workers they hire.

In the future, Bird said he would like to see the state utilize the Opportunity Fund on an as-needed basis to keep high-paying high-tech jobs like those in the aerospace industry from leaving the state. It’s important for the state to do what it can to prevent good jobs from landing in other states, he said. One in 10 Oklahomans derive their income from the industry, he added.

Objectives for the OAA include establishing a yearly state legislative and national congressional agenda, creating a consensus date on industry training requirements, achieving national workforce preeminence as an aerospace state, achieving a clear competitive advantage in maintenance and repair operations and achieving a partnership with an internationally recognized higher education sponsored research and development center.

Upcoming events include the third annual Oklahoma Aerospace Summit & Expo, which will be May 21 through May 22 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.