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CAREERS Special Edition
June 23, 2021
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A classroom for aerospace careers, held in conjunction with Portland Community College, is located
at the Hillsboro Airport.
Aerospace Careers for Everyone
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C ontinued FroM p age 4
nance Technology faculty helped
design the curriculum for the
classes to match courses offered
in their programs. Students in
the pathway can earn dual col-
lege credits through PCC and can
participate in a non-profit “Flight
Club,” created and operated by
PCC students. This club allows
students access to aviation activ-
ities after school.
“These careers are significant-
ly under-represented by females
and people of color,” said Larry
Altree, PCC’s Aviation Science
Program chair. “Everybody recog-
nizes that the demand for workers
won’t be met unless schools start
pointing kids toward aviation.”
According to a report by Boe-
ing, in the next 20 years the avi-
ation industry will face an im-
mense shortage of skilled workers
to maintain the North American
fleet with pilot demand totaling
approximately 208,000, techni-
cians at 192,000 and cabin crew at
about 169,000. By unlocking the
doors to aviation careers to histor-
ically under-represented students,
the better chance the industry has
at filling this demand.
Chris Barber, a Southwest Air-
lines pilot and an Oregon Airshow
Charitable Foundation board
member, initially approached
PCC about creating a program
that could spur interest in aviation
for high school students. It is esti-
mated that 93% of the industry’s
professional pilots are made up of
white males.
“As an airline pilot I recognize
that our community looks very
similar to myself,” said Barber,
who is white. “We do not do a very
good job of recruiting females
or people of color to the aviation
community. We need to diversify
because there’s a huge shortfall.”
As a result, PCC, the Hills-
boro School District, the Oregon
Air Show Charitable Foundation
Board and the Port of Portland all
came together to make the educa-
tional pathway happen. The Port
of Portland provided classroom
space at the airport’s terminal
building in the form of the for-
mer KUIK radio station studios,
which has expansive views of
the airport’s tarmac. The Oregon
Air Show Charitable Foundation
funded the renovation along with
donations of services from local
businesses.
The renovation and remodel
was led by experienced volunteers
from the Hillsboro Rotary Club,
Hillsboro School District, Ore-
gon International Air Show, Port
of Portland and the Oregon Air
Show Charitable Foundation. In
total, the partners tallied 1,800 to
2,000 volunteer hours to make this
project happen.
“Our mission is to enhance the
region’s economy and quality of
life through trade and transporta-
tion,” said Steve Nakana, social
equity manager for the Port of
Portland. “Breaking down barriers
and providing equitable, educa-
tional opportunities is critical to
our roadmap for regional pros-
perity and we are proud to partner
with O-ACE in their endeavor to
expose students to career path-
ways in the aviation industry.”
Students from any Hillsboro
high school are eligible to ap-
ply for the O-ACE Program with
courses built into the students’ dai-
ly schedule. They can start taking
aviation immersion courses and
summer boot camps in addition to
college-level credit classes. By the
time they graduate, they will have
amassed 16 dual credits for Avi-
ation Science or up to 13 credits
for Aviation Maintenance through
PCC and can seamlessly transition
into either program.
The first-ever cohort started
this year and has nearly 40 stu-
dents from around the school dis-
trict enrolled.
“Many students within the dis-
trict will never get the opportuni-
ty to experience aviation mainly
because of the cost,” said Sheryl
Fisher, a bilingual licensed pilot
who teaches the classes. “This
program gives students more ca-
reer choices in their lives.”
Advancing Equity in the Courts
C ontinued FroM p age 4
the public about historical racial
disparities in Oregon law, the im-
pact of implicit bias and how to
overcome those biases, among
other impacts.
She was nominated for the
award by a group of Oregon ju-
rists and state court adminis-
trators, including support from
Oregon Chief Justice Martha L.
Walters, Gov. Kate Brown, and
Attorney General Ellen Rosen-
blum.
A former Multnomah County
Judge, Nelson’s legal career has
spanned nearly 25 years.