In an interesting development, AAR has donated a functional aircraft to Rock Valley College’s Aviation Maintenance Program recently. The fully functional CRJ-200 aircraft will aid in aviation-focused education in Illinois.
Ryan Goertzen, AAR’s Vice President of Workforce Development said: “Hands-on experience is key to developing as aviation maintenance technicians. However, students typically learn on old aircraft that are no longer functional,” explained Goertzen. “Working on a modern, fully operational aircraft in an educational setting will transform aviation maintenance training.”
AAR will work alongside Rock Valley College to ensure the CRJ-200 is fully implemented into the college’s aviation maintenance curriculum through a process that has been streamlined by the new FAA part 147 regulation.
AAR partnered with the State of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide funding, SkyWest Airlines to sell the aircraft and The Workforce Connection to manage the workforce development grant.