Grant funding will allow Man-Tra-Con Corporation to collaborate with SIU–Carbondale in addressing the need for aviation maintenance technicians.
The $1.2 million in grant funding from the Delta Regional Authority will provide career counseling, training, and other support services for eligible residents within Jackson, Williamson, Franklin, Jefferson and Perry counties.
Man-Tra-Con CEO Kathy Lively says this goes along with the growth at Southern Illinois Airport -- home of the SIU-C Transportation Education Center.
"There are lots of plans in place now at the airport with hangars going up and businesses moving in. So, there's going to be a need here in southern Illinois as well as a need nationally when you look at the national scope."
Lively hopes this will encourage enrollment in the Aviation Department at SIU-C through loaning virtual reality equipment to area high schools, offering financial aid to current university students and helping re-train some area residents. She says officials will work to outline a career pathway for those wanting to re-train and still earn while they learn.
Lively hopes the process can start next spring.
