If you have ever wanted to learn how to build or fix airplanes Northwest High School and WSU tech offer a class called Aviation Maintenance in which a student in high school can earn an Airplane Mechanics Certificate (AMP). “…Aviation Maintenance is a three year course and right now we’re in general which takes a year which just teaches us the general basics of aviation mechanics…” (Leeroy Canales, Northwest senior). 

Canales signed up for this class for a very logical reason. It’s a path to financial security.

“I’m taking the class because airplane mechanics get paid a lot of money and it was something that Northwest offered me for free that I could start, so I took that opportunity.” 

The class can lead to a well paid career in airplane mechanics. Although college is not required to obtain an AMP, you can still earn college credit through WSU tech for the course. 

Canales said that if a student wants to apply, he or she just needs to go to a meeting and fill out some paperwork.

“[A}around the end of every school year WSU tech will give an assembly for upcoming juniors and seniors that gives you information on all their classes and they give out enrollment sheets and as long as you meet all the requirements and turn in the paper before the class is filled up they will let you in.”

For the program that Canales takes, the class is located at the aviation training center up in Belair. “The class is three hours long and you can leave whenever you want, it’s not like high school,” Canales said.

High School students who are looking for careers can keep airplane mechanics as one of the many options through  WSU tech and Northwest.