Moore Norman Technology Center to provide much-needed aerospace training

Tim Willert, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 11—Cleveland County commissioners are considering a request for $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from Moore Norman Technology Center to purchase equipment for a new Aerospace Training program.

The in-person program will prepare students to become certified as aviation maintenance technicians in three different areas — General Aviation, Airframe, and Powerplant — will take approximately three semesters to complete, according to a statement provided by Cleveland County.

Construction of the new Aerospace Training facility is underway, and MNTC is expected to welcome its first cohort of students in August, according to the county.

The 18-month program will be fully approved and accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Brian Ruttman, Moore Norman Technology Center superintendent and chief executive.

Ruttman said aerospace is a $44 billion a year industry in the state of Oklahoma, second only to oil and gas.

"For Tinker to expand, with bringing the KC-46 and other projects in, a new bomber coming in, with what Boeing plans to do in the state and the growth they have here ... the workforce has to be here," he told The Transcript.

"What we've run into from an economic development standpoint is when you have such low unemployment like we do in the state of Oklahoma, you don't have the workforce to cover the need that's there right now, so we've got to really add a nice influx of new talent into that workforce pipeline."

The program will not only help meet the growing workforce demand, it will allow many Cleveland County residents whose jobs may have been negatively affected by COVID-19 to gain the training they need to return to work, according to the county.

On Monday, Ruttman updated Cleveland County Commissioners Rod Cleveland, Rusty Grissom and Darry Stacy on the training program.

He said the 35,000 square-foot facility on the MNTC Franklin Road campus includes a 9,000 square-foot bus barn that will be converted into a hangar.

An aircraft was donated, a helicopter is en route and trainers are on their way, he told commissioners.

Ruttman blamed about $5 million in unprojected costs for facilities and equipment on pandemic-related issues such as supply chain and construction costs.

"It really became apparent that we were going to have to find some alternate funding sources to meet the needs of the program," he said.

The commissioners will vote on the funding proposal April 17.

"Those facilities are very impressive," Grissom told the superintendent. "You guys ought to be proud of what you've got going out there. Looking forward to the benefit the community is going to have there."

Stacy praised the technology center's "incredible" track record of workforce development.

"I am personally excited to see us investing ARPA dollars in that ... it's going to pay dividends in the future," he said.