Projections and Opportunities in one of San Antonio’s Biggest Industries
The San Antonio community has a rich history in aviation and aerospace, with the first military flight in the region recorded as having taken place in 1910 at Fort Sam Houston. Over the last hundred years, aerospace has grown to become an anchor industry in the region as companies like StandardAero and the Boeing Company set up facilities in the city. Even with these outlets and promising career paths, the industry continues to face a projected shortage of trained aircraft technicians.
A report from the Boeing Company outlined the growing technician demand through 2037. Worldwide demand for newly trained aeronautics technicians is expected to reach 754,000, with an estimated 189,000 of these technicians needed in North America alone. This shortage of trained technicians is in part the result of an aging generation of aeronautics technicians approaching retirement age. In the U.S., the median age of aviation mechanics is 51 years old, reportedly nine years older than the median age of the broader workforce in the United States.
One of Hallmark University’s solutions to this shortage is the Aerospace College Head-start Institute (Aero CHI). In partnership with San Antonio’s North East Independent School District, Aero CHI is designed to introduce talented high school students to a career as an aeronautics technician. Students receive training on a range of different aeronautic assets during their time in Aero CHI, such as live jet engines and a small fleet of aircraft located at Hallmark’s Aviation Campus at the San Antonio International Airport. Students who complete Aero CHI and enroll with Hallmark University after graduating will have less than 12 months left of their program, saving them a great deal of time and money.
The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce released a report in December detailing projected growth and opportunities within the aeronautics industry, with an estimated $3.4 billion generated in the San Antonio region alone. The report detailed Boeing’s Port San Antonio facility and its commitment to nearly double its workforce over the next two years to nearly 2,000 to meet industry demands. Many of the jobs in the San Antonio region focus on maintenance, repair, and overhaul, with an average annual salary of $78,000, nearly $19,000 more than the median household income in the U.S.