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Louisiana: Where Aerospace Careers Take Flight
Louisiana is a place where young aviation aficionados and aspiring astronauts can learn to reach for the stars.
Home to NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility, the state has higher-education programs at universities and technical colleges designed to help prepare students for a variety of aviation and aerospace careers, from aircraft maintenance to space rocket engineering.
Louisiana’s ambitions took off more than 60 years ago, starting with the 1961 debut of Michoud. Fondly known as ‘America’s Rocket Factory,’ employees at Michoud created the booster stage of the Saturn V rocket for Apollo 11, the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon.
Six decades later, Michoud continues to make groundbreaking contributions to America’s space program, notably with the Space Launch System being built for Artemis, named after Greek mythology’s sister to Apollo. Artemis missions will attempt to bring the first women and the first person of color to the moon by 2024, and eventually, to the surface of Mars.
Today, Louisiana’s aviation and aerospace industry includes more than 30 companies and employs more than 6,500 people. Jobs range from space program engineering to helicopter and aircraft “completions,” an industry term for outfitting an aircraft with VIP luxury interior, or one customized for medical transport, law enforcement and more.
Young people who are considering aviation and aerospace professions can choose from a range of degree and certificate programs that will begin the process of putting childhood dreams of flight and space exploration onto a post-high school professional career path.
Nunez Community College, for example, provides students with the opportunity to earn an Associate of Applied Science Degree in the field of Aerospace Manufacturing Technology. The college’s Aerospace Technology Manufacturing program provides classroom and hands-on training, allowing students to develop skills to become aerospace manufacturing technicians. At four locations in Louisiana (Central, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge), the state offers career education programs that prepare students to pursue certification in Airframe and Powerplant Maintenance and eventually perform scheduled aircraft maintenance, make repairs and conduct Federal Aviation Administration inspections.
And of course, if you’re not sure yet what direction you want to take your career, a number of Louisiana’s universities, including Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge), the University of New Orleans, the University of Louisiana (Lafayette) and Tulane University, have science and engineering degree programs that can build a solid foundation for future aviation or aerospace pursuits.
Louisiana, with its variety of aviation and aerospace companies and education offerings, is one of the best places on earth to transform a passion for flight into a future that soars.
www.opportunitylouisiana.com
