Building the Workforce for Florida’s Advanced Air Mobility Industry
The future of transportation will require more than innovative aircraft and advanced testing facilities. It will require people with the skills to design, build, operate, maintain and improve the technologies that are transforming how people and goods move.
Polk County is preparing for that future.
As Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) companies establish operations at SunTrax in Auburndale, local education and workforce-development partnerships are creating pathways for students and workers to participate in the industry’s growth.
That makes Polk County’s AAM story about more than infrastructure. It is also about talent.
Building the Workforce Alongside the Industry
Florida Department of Transportation has partnered with Polk State College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to develop training and credentialing opportunities for the next generation of transportation professionals.
The goal is to ensure Florida has the pilots, maintenance technicians, engineers and other skilled professionals needed as advanced transportation technologies move from research and testing toward deployment.
For Polk County, the partnership creates an opportunity to connect a nationally significant transportation research facility with a local institution already focused on preparing students for the workforce.
Polk State College has identified SunTrax as an important resource for hands-on training, giving students opportunities to gain experience with emerging transportation technologies close to home.
That connection between education and industry is a powerful economic-development advantage.
Companies deciding where to locate do not just consider available buildings and infrastructure. They also consider whether a community can provide the workforce they need today—and whether it can continue producing talent as they grow.
A New Pathway into Aerospace Engineering
The region’s talent pipeline is expanding beyond workforce credentials and technical training.
Florida Polytechnic University has launched a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, creating a new opportunity for students in the region to pursue an advanced degree directly aligned with Florida’s growing aerospace and advanced air mobility industries.
The timing is significant.
As AIR establishes its U.S. headquarters and eVTOL flight operations at SunTrax, and Skyfly prepares to establish its own U.S. operations, Polk County is simultaneously expanding the local educational pipeline for aerospace talent.
Even more important is the connection between Polk County’s two public higher-education institutions.
Polk State College and Florida Polytechnic University recently established the Eagle to Phoenix Pathway, creating transfer opportunities for Polk State students into 10 targeted Florida Poly bachelor’s programs. Aerospace Engineering is among those pathways.
For students, that creates a local route from a state college education into an aerospace engineering degree.
For employers, it helps create a pipeline of talent educated in the region and prepared for the increasingly sophisticated needs of the aerospace and AAM industries.
From Classroom to Career
Advanced Air Mobility will require a broad range of skills.
Engineers will design aircraft and propulsion systems. Technicians will maintain and inspect them. Pilots and operators will manage flight operations. Software, controls and communications specialists will support increasingly sophisticated aircraft.
Manufacturing professionals will build the components and final products. As the industry matures, new occupations and specialties will continue to emerge. That makes hands-on education particularly valuable.
SunTrax provides the specialized infrastructure. Companies such as AIR and Skyfly are bringing private-sector activity and investment. Polk State is helping prepare technicians and other transportation professionals. Florida Poly is expanding the region’s engineering talent pipeline.
That combination can help create a continuous cycle for prosperity: industry creates opportunity, education prepares talent, and talent makes the region more attractive to additional industry.
Preparing Polk County for the next generation of aviation
AAM is still an emerging industry, but Polk County does not have to wait for the industry to mature before preparing for its workforce needs.
The region is building the pipeline now.
Students can begin their education locally, pursue specialized training and credentials, continue into aerospace engineering, and gain exposure to emerging technologies through partnerships connected to SunTrax.
For companies, that means Polk County’s AAM advantage isn’t limited to having a place to test an aircraft.
It is developing a place where companies can find talent, build talent and grow talent.
The future of flight, Florida’s next mode of transportation, will need a workforce to build it. Polk County is preparing that workforce now.
