All 300 eighth-graders at Woodrow Wilson Middle School checked out a Robinson R44 helicopter Friday morning at a field in front of the facility. The event was a precursor to the launch of Middletown High Schools Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing program. Paul Pelletier, MHS aerospace and manufacturing instructor, spoke with groups of 10 students at a time, answering questions and giving a select few a chance to sit inside the cockpit.

All 300 eighth-graders at Woodrow Wilson Middle School checked out a Robinson R44 helicopter Friday morning at a field in front of the facility. The event was a precursor to the launch of Middletown High

Photo: Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut Media

All 300 eighth-graders at Woodrow Wilson Middle School checked out a Robinson R44 helicopter Friday morning at a field in front of the facility. The event was a precursor to the launch of Middletown High Schools Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing program. Paul Pelletier, MHS aerospace and manufacturing instructor, spoke with groups of 10 students at a time, answering questions and giving a select few a chance to sit inside the cockpit.

All 300 eighth-graders at Woodrow Wilson Middle School checked out a Robinson R44 helicopter Friday morning at a field in front of the facility. The event was a precursor to the launch of Middletown High

Middletown middle-schoolers learn the skies are the limit for aerospace industry jobs

MIDDLETOWN Starting off ones career in aerospace manufacturing can be more lucrative than entry-level salaries for many industries that require a four-year college degree.

So learned 300 Woodrow Wilson Middle School eighth-graders Friday morning, as Paul Pelletier, aerospace and manufacturing instructor at Middletown High School, introduced the teens to a unique outdoor classroom: a 1,470-pound Robinson R44 helicopter, waiting for them in a field in front of the facility.

Hes also a 17-year vocational instructor.

The event was a precursor to the launch of Middletown High Schools two-course Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing program. Pelletier spoke with groups of 10 students at a time during a very cold morning, answering questions and allowing a select few a chance to sit in the cockpit.

Hes an extremely passionate and talented educator. Its a great opportunity. Its sort of like the stars are aligned in Connecticut for this program, because of the need, and our ability to build something that would respond to the need, said school district grants coordinator Natalie Forbes.

The helicopter was meant to represent opportunities in the aerospace industry. The skys the limit for students willing to invest their time and energy in the field, organizers said.

College debt is a crisis in the United States, said Pelletier, who created a partnership with the state Department of Education, businesses, and Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield, which is offering college credit for students who take these classes at MHS.

We can create pathways in aerospace for students, where they can accomplish anything they want, and go to college, Pelletier said. Doing so is a win-win, he said.

Kids love high-tech gadgetry. Kids really love whats going on in these aerospace manufacturing companies. Theres such a need in Connecticut, he said. Another perk is companies such as Pratt & Whitney are willing to pay for their employees higher education.

VIDEO: Woodrow Wilson Middle School 8th-graders got up close to Robinson R44 helicopter this morning #Middletown. Copter introduced them to opportunities in aerospace industry. Middletown high is launching Aerospace & Advanced Mfg program

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The reason why theres such a demand for skilled workers is two-fold.

All us old guys are retiring, said Tom Barclay, a former 30-year director of maintenance for Lifestar.

Barclay is Pelletiers mentor.

I will be your aerospace mentor. Ill follow you all four years, and Ill do what I can to help place you in a job, he said to the eighth-graders, calling the program the Air Jordans of aerospace programs.

Also, the aerospace industry is booming, Pelletier said.

China is becoming a middle-class country, and so is India, and the worlds economy is [rising]. Theres a huge backlog of parts in the world, he explained.

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VIDEO: Woodrow Wilson Middle School 8th-graders got up close to Robinson R44 helicopter this morning #Middletown. Copter introduced them to opportunities in aerospace industry. Middletown high is launching Aerospace & Advanced Mfg program pic.twitter.com/yHx4GlRFuu

There are three centers of aerospace worldwide: Toulous, France; Seattle, Wash.; and Connecticut, the only one that makes jet engine parts.

A retiring generation creates a nice opportunity for kids, according to Pelletier.

Theyre not producing enough people who are responsive to the need out there. We want our kids to graduate. We want them to be prepared for life and to have wonderful opportunities. And this theres no better right now, Forbes said.

Middletown is going to be the leader in the state for creating job-ready students. Were going to do a better job than the vocational system, other school systems. Were in the front of it all, Pelletier said.

Middletown is home to the Pratt & Whitney engine factory. We are aerospace manufacturing, he said.

Currently, U.S. student debt is $1.5 trillion (the U.S. debt is $22 trillion) and the average student has $30,000 in debt, according to Forbes.

In 2018, the average wage of a four-year college graduate with more than $30,000 in student debt was $48,400, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The average wage of a graduate of a one-year advanced manufacturing certification/ certified production technician is $53,000, according to the Connecticut Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Christine Bourne, chief of administration for Middletown Public Schools, explained why grants are needed to help temper the costs of this program.

When you think about the things that this needs: It needs its own shed, it needs its own classroom, it needs specific equipment to run the class it all costs money, Bourne said, such as special electrical flooring.

Several of the eighth-graders already have ideas about their preferred careers.

Gavin Sanchez wants to be a forensic scientist. He was mostly inspired by the television show he enjoys with family, the superhero show The Flash. The main character is a crime scene investigator.

Seeing him being able to analyze what kind of tire made some tracks was interesting, Gavin said.

Mackenzie Guard wants to be a graphic designer. I want to do more of the artistic thing, because Ive always had a thing for drawing and art, and making creative video game worlds for people to enjoy.

Everybody thinks they have to go and get a four-year liberal arts degree to make it in the world. But you can make as much money if not more by being a skilled mechanic in the aviation industry, Pelletier told the children.

Hes really taken the ball. He has connections with industry, with the schools, said David Reynolds, the head of Career and Tech Education at Middletown High, as well as the DECA advisor.

The most important thing is getting to the students early, even before high school.

If we get to them when theyre in eleventh grade, they already know what theyre doing. Its almost too late for a lot of these kids, Reynolds said. Some companies will pay for courses even if their workers arent interested in manufacturing.

The promise is to say to a kid, You can have a career with no college debt. If you want to be a doctor, you can get a job making 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars. Pratt will pay for them to go back to school to follow their dreams, he said.

No one wants $120,000 in school debt and then come out and not get a job. If we look at our role as exposing kids to everything the workplace has to offer, this is an awesome part of that, Reynolds explained.

For information, visit mhs.middletownschools.org.

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Middletown middle-schoolers learn the skies are the limit for aerospace industry jobs - Middletown Press