Metro Tech pumping nearly $2M into aviation programs

Metro Technology Centers unveiled $1.8 million in renovations to its aviation campus on Friday that officials said will help advance Oklahoma in the aerospace and aviation industries.

Renovations at the campus located near Will Rogers World Airport included improvements to practical laboratories and airplane hangars, a new roof and remodeled classrooms, bathrooms and cafeteria.

The campus houses Metro Tech’s day and evening Aviation Maintenance Technician programs for adult students. The program graduated 73 students in the 2023 budget year, and 79% were placed in the workforce.

It currently has around 142 students enrolled for education in aircraft maintenance, with both airframe and powerplant education, which includes aircraft engines. High school students can also enroll in an aerospace maintenance foundations program.

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Michael Branch, the campus site director, said most of the school’s graduates move on to work at Tinker Air Force Base.

Aaron Collins, superintendent and CEO of Metro Tech, said the aviation campus, established in 1988, helps train employees to work in Oklahoma’s aerospace industry.

“It takes a village to continue to move aerospace forward,” Collins said. “The state of Oklahoma is known for aviation and aerospace and we need to continue to shout that out … When people think of quality training and the future of aerospace, we want them thinking of Metro Tech.”

The $1.8 million renovations for the building were funded through Metro Tech’s Campus Master Plan, and the Airport Trust provided funds to replace the roof. The campus renovations took about one year to complete.

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