Aviation maintenance program
by Evan Nikas with contributions from Bruce McDaniel
Discover a road to opportunities located at Gate 6 of the Plymouth Airport. The Cape Cod Community College (4Cs) Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program, established in 2016, provides students a pathway into a variety of careers within aviation maintenance, as well as within aviation technology. The program allows students to graduate with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in the field of Aviation Maintenance and move forward into several four-year programs.
Photo: Twin engine jet located in Plymouth Hangar. Photo by Bruce McDaniel
The program itself takes place over the course of 15 months and prepares students to go forth to fill a need for experienced technicians in airframe, as well as in power plant repair. Students will find themselves learning and working on the six planes that the program has, all provided by a variety of donors, including local company Cape Air. These planes provide hands-on learning from the exterior to the interior and allows students to get a sense of what working on a real airplane would be like. Along with the hands-on experience, students are presented with first-hand insight from experts within the aviation industry.
Enrollment for the program is at an all-time high, with this year being the first in the program’s history to need a waiting list. The success of this program shows in the students, as airlines such as JetBlue, Cape Air and more eagerly wait for graduates to come in and fill the needs of the aviation industry where skilled technicians are lacking.
Max Cote, a graduate from the 4Cs AMT program, is one of the many former students to find success after graduating.
“Right now, I work as a helicopter mechanic in Alaska,” said Cote. “It’s a beautiful place to work.”
The program provides graduates the opportunity to find positions all around the continental United States. Students can find themselves employed by an airline before they even graduate!
Photo: Nate Ward, Samantha Pena, Kyle Cardoza, Emmanuel Ezema and Jacob Twigg in welding class. Photo by: Bruce McDaniel
“The biggest takeaway I have from the program is that you can start working towards your career immediately after completing your exams,” said Cote. “I was employed by a regional airline before I graduated the program, so by the time I finished [the program], I already had a job lined up. Some of my classmates had interviews set up so when they graduated, they could get right to work as well. The demand for an Airframe and Power Plant (A&P) Mechanic is steep. Once you get some experience, it’s very surprising what kind of opportunities will open.”
The program provides students that possess a passion for the aviation industry with a fantastic opportunity to find a career within it. This allows many graduates to find immediate success after the completion of their studies.
“The college gives anyone interested a fantastic opportunity,” said Cote. “Now, the program cannot give you a job, because nobody is going to hand that to you. All it does is give you the opportunity to earn your A&P license. With that, you can decide where in the country you want to work and how much your time is worth. I would say that is a pretty good opportunity to be given.”
Along with the 15-month program, students can also complete the program through a Hybrid Program option. This route contains 36 weeks of online courses followed by a yearlong span of onsite time at the Plymouth Airport campus upon completion of said courses. This option rounds out to 20 months for completion, but provides students a flexible alternative to the standard 15-month program.
To take advantage of the vast amount of aviation career options and opportunities across the country through the 4Cs AMT program, visit the Engineering Sciences & Applied Technologies section on the Cape Cod Community College Website.
Categories: Around Campus, People