How Ohio is training the next generation of aviation professionals

The state’s long history has helped make it a visionary force within the aerospace industry.

Aerospace and aviation jobs in the U.S. are growing at a record clip, but the number of trained professionals qualified to fill them hasn’t kept pace. The U.S. currently faces a significant shortage of aerospace mechanics, engineers, manufacturers, and pilots.

This lack of skilled talent has left leaders at aerospace companies scrambling. But there is one place they know they can turn: Ohio.

The birthplace of aviation and home of the Wright brothers, the Buckeye State has become a regional stronghold for aerospace manufacturing, research and development, and educational programs. “We are a leading aerospace and defense workforce in the U.S.,” says Terry Slaybaugh, vice president of sites and infrastructure at JobsOhio, a private nonprofit corporation focused on creating economic opportunities by enabling corporations to invest, hire, and thrive. Altogether, there are more than 610 aviation firms located in Ohio, employing more than 35,000 residents.

Ohio’s position as a modern-day aviation talent hub was forged with the help of JobsOhio’s Ohio Site Inventory Program, which distributes grants and low-interest loans to finance speculative development projects. The initiative has helped fund regional airport expansions across the state through public and private partnerships. These airport expansions often include on-site Aviation Educational Training Centers, which provide students with hands-on experience. 

A network of partners

Increasing the number of skilled aviation workers requires getting more kids and young adults excited about the industry. JobsOhio is partnering with facilities across the state to launch aviation education centers that train high school students with the hands-on skills they need to land a high-paying job directly after graduation. “It really starts with the educational component,” says Slaybaugh. “These students will have new career pathways without having to complete a four-year degree.”

As part of this initiative, JobsOhio recently provided a $1 million grant to launch an education center at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and has funded aviation education efforts in Ashland County, Lake County, and Cincinnati. The center will be built to accommodate training for new technology, such as advanced air mobility and pilot training for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Butler Tech, which has a three-year aviation program, is also partnering with JobsOhio to support aviation jobs in the state. Recently, the institution launched an Aviation Education Center at the Middletown Regional Airport with funding from the nonprofit. The facility currently has 50 students, with capacity slated to increase to 200 in January 2026.

Butler Tech’s mission is to prepare its students for specialized, real-world aviation careers so they can hit the ground running. This has proven to be a big selling point for employers. “When a business comes and says, ‘We want to locate to Ohio,’ the first two questions are about the property, and the second is about the workforce,” says Jon Graft, chief executive of Butler Tech. “We have both.”

The education to jobs pipeline

To become a reliable feeder for aviation giants, Ohio starts teaching kids about aviation and aerospace as early as elementary school. From there, the pipeline flows directly to programs such as Butler Tech’s, which accept high school students. Courses are designed and taught by working experts with first-hand experience of what it takes to thrive on the job. “Your education-to-employment pipeline is an essential aspect of economic development,” says Graft. Butler Tech prides itself on providing a bridge between school and industry, tailoring its curriculum to set up graduates for real-world success.

This includes rapid modifications based on advances in the aviation field. “If a business has a demand for a specific skill set in a workforce, we can mobilize within 12 months and provide that particular workforce,” says Graft.

Generating enough student interest to meet industry demand requires increased awareness. For many people, aviation jobs still start and end with becoming a pilot. Therefore, for Graft, the first step is often educating communities about the sheer diversity of aviation career paths. Yes, becoming a pilot is one career option, but there is also work in avionics, equipment maintenance, aerospace engineering, welding, and unmanned aircraft systems. 

When Graft explains this to students and their parents, their eyes light up, he says. Aviation suddenly represents a whole new world of well-paying professional possibilities, many of which don’t require a college degree. From an employer’s perspective, “These are guaranteed jobs,” says Graft. Aviation companies have such a demand for employees in these fields, attracting workers with salaries that often exceed six figures, along with benefits such as covering tuition should an employee decide to return to college. “It’s not a hard sell,” says Graft. “It’s more about informing the public of the opportunities.”

A runway for aviation to take off

Butler Tech is just one node in a network of JobsOhio’s aviation education partners. At airports across the state, people will find campuses teaching the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers—a win-win for students, employers, and the local economy. The model works so well that Graft is bullish on its ability to be used as a template for education reform nationwide. “Ohioans are problem-solvers,” notes Graft. “People think we’re a flyover state and all the great ideas come from the West Coast or the East Coast. But we have a lot to offer.”

By providing industry expertise and filling funding gaps, JobsOhio is committed to reinforcing the state’s status as a place where aviation companies can find talented hires. In 2023, the economic development corporation also supported the formation of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence, the nation’s only facility of its kind, which supports the expanding work of manufacturers and operators of advanced air mobility vehicles, including eVTOL aircraft. These investments are helping build a new end-to-end supply chain for the advanced air mobility industry, right in Ohio 

“We’re building a skilled workforce pipeline to be able to compete to win aviation projects,” says Slaybaugh. Facilities such as Anduril’s $1 billion manufacturing plant in central Ohio and Joby Aviation’s $500 million eVTOL site in Dayton power the local economy, providing stable career paths for Ohioans from all walks of life.  

“This is a state in which technology, innovation, and aviation converge,” says Slaybaugh. “The opportunities are boundless.”