July 22, 2025

The inaugural class of the Aviation Manufacturing Technology program at The Communiversity at East Mississippi Community College is six weeks into the 10-week course designed to provide enrollees with an opportunity to land paid apprenticeships and possibly full-time employment with Airbus Helicopters Inc. in Columbus.

“It’s been going great,” said Myranda Lindsey, a class success coach contracted through Flight Works Alabama, one of the partners in the program. “These students are very engaged. It is incredible to see them taking the initiative and helping one another at every stage of the program.”

Airbus, Flight Works Alabama and EMCC announced the launch of the program in April when applications were taken from interested applicants. Ten applicants were selected and nine of those are still enrolled in the program.

Starkville resident Hunter Gregg was among those selected to participate. Gregg said he was interested in the training program because of the potential for full-time employment at Airbus.

“It’s an opportunity for a career,” Gregg said. “The training has been great so far. One good thing about the program is that even if you don’t know anything about aviation manufacturing, they will teach you everything you need to know and answer any questions you may have during class.”

During the course, the students will earn a certificate from EMCC, as well as multiple industry-recognized certificates in the following categories: Precision Measuring Instruments, Tools@Height, Mechanical and Electronic Torque, Multimeter, Precision Electrical Termination, and Structural Sheetmetal Assembly.

The training program, titled FlightPath9, is designed to prepare individuals for work at the Airbus. The training is free for the students and they receive a $100 stipend for every day they are in class.

EMCC already provides training in Avionics Cabling, which teaches students the basics of building wiring harnesses to aviation specifications, which has been incorporated into the Aviation Manufacturing Technology program. EMCC still offers Avionics Cabling as a standalone program and applications for that course are being accepted until noon on Aug. 19. Register here for that course: https://bit.ly/4f0SL69

EMCC’s training is being supplemented with modules provided through FlightPath9, which is a pre-employment training program that was created by Flight Works Alabama in 2019 to prepare individuals for employment at Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama, where the company’s assembly site for its commercial airplane division is located.

EMCC was awarded an Aviation Manufacturing Technology grant by AccelerateMS to purchase equipment and provide training for program instructors to receive a teaching certification, EMCC Workforce Business Outreach Training Manger Carlton (Ray) Hollis said.

“Through this program, we are bringing FlightPath9 into Mississippi with Flight Works Alabama,” Hollis said. “We are grateful for the support of AccelerateMS and our partnership with the other agencies.”

Training takes place in EMCC’s Avionics Cabling lab, as well as at the Mississippi Advanced Composites Training Center, which is also located at The Communiversity and is the result of a partnership between EMCC and Mississippi State University’s Advanced Composites Institute.

Classes began on June 16 and run through Aug. 21. A graduation ceremony for the students who complete the training will take place at The Communiversity on Friday, Aug. 22. The next day, the students will begin pre-employment training at Airbus Helicopters with full benefits, 401K and vacation accrual.

The apprenticeships will be patterned after those in Airbus’ Mobile facility where the apprentices serve alongside mentors and are considered as trainees for a period of 14 months to 16 months.

Once the apprentices complete on-the-job training, they are considered regular employees and are allowed to work without direct supervision.

All the certifications earned in the training are approved by the National Coalition of Certification Centers and are recognized nationwide. In addition, students will receive OSHA 10 certification in General Industry, or Manufacturing, a safety course required of new employees by many industries.

EMCC’s Workforce Services Division offers other training to meet specific industry needs. Industries that EMCC works with include PACCAR, Yokohama, Terberg Taylor Americas and International Paper, to name a few. 

Industries interested in exploring training options at EMCC can email Hollis at chollis@eastms.edu or call him at 662.243.7482.