Aerospace summit discusses state and future of industry in Oklahoma

A major concern for the Oklahoma aerospace industry is a lack of skilled workers in the field, summit speakers expressed Wednesday.

The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance, a nonprofit industry association, held its 11th annual summit this week in Norman for the first time, said Steven Hendrickson, director of Government Operations for Boeing.

One of the main concerns this year was the lack of skilled labor for the industry, Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Richard Schwing said at the summit.

Schwing said a bulk of the current workforce is older and there are fewer younger workers coming into the field.

In Oklahoma, the aerospace industry consists of more than 500 companies and employs more than 100,000 people from different fields, including military, space, commercial and business, said Mary Smith, executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance.

Oklahomas industry stands strong because it encompasses so many fields, Smith said. Factors like federal budgets and bankruptcy influence the industry, Smith said.

It is a balancing act, Smith said.

The summit was Monday to Wednesday with two days in Norman and a third in Oklahoma City. The host city rotates between Tulsa and Oklahoma City because they are the major hubs of the aerospace industry, Hendrickson said.

Oklahoma aerospace officials gather annually at the summit to discuss the state of the industry, Hendrickson said.

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