Aerospace Industry Study Results

Oklahoma will likely experience shortages of approximately 200 Aerospace Engineers and 400 Electrical Engineers by 2014, with shortages of additional engineering specialties possible in that same time frame, according to an industry report released today by the Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development. The Aerospace Industry Report, the second of a series of selected sectors, assesses supply and demand and provides a gap analysis of the current and future workforce needs of Oklahoma's aerospace industry.

Oklahoma Aerospace Industry Workforce Report 2007

Through a survey conducted in 2006 Oklahoma's aerospace employers and industry representatives identified current and future skill needs as well as workforce supply and demand. 

"The Aerospace Industry Report provides Oklahomans with excellent information about the demand for high-wage careers in this important industry," said Natalie Shirley, Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism.  "The Aerospace Report provides objective data that has been rigorously analyzed to assist us in identifying career paths available to Oklahomans.  In addition, the Governor's Council on Workforce and Economic Development will continue its work to make sure prospective employees understand the significant training available for these career opportunities."  

"Our aerospace industry is second to none. Period," Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Director Victor Bird said. "But if we are to retain and grow this industry, we must continue to encourage, train, retrain and recruit smart, hard-working Oklahomans for the industry.

"Oklahomans built a world-class aerospace industry in this state, said Bird. "How well we retain and grow this legacy will depend on how well business, government and our education institutions partner to compete against our rivals from other states and other countries."

Oklahoma is one of the top six global hubs for maintenance, repair and overhaul services, with the aerospace industry directly responsible for 4.3% of the state's total employment.  Statewide direct and indirect gross output from Oklahoma's commercial aviation industry was estimated to be $12.4 billion in 2004 accounting for just over 10% of Oklahoma's industry output.  

"A quality work force is the most important competitive advantage for our company. We must continue to train Oklahomans for all present and future aerospace jobs, and recruit national and international talent to our state," said Ken Lackey, chairman and chief executive officer for Nordam, a major aerospace company in Tulsa.

"Nordam has locations around the world," said Lackey. "We will continue to grow in Oklahoma as long as we are successful in training and recruiting quality workers. We have been successful thus far, but see the same challenges this workforce study has identified. Workforce availability and retaining Oklahoma-educated aerospace talent are complex problems that we Oklahomans must solve to continue to be a leader in aerospace."

"Success in aerospace will depend on how quickly and efficiently a company can add new technology, and how quickly a workforce can adapt to bring that technology to market," said Ben Robinson, Oklahoma City site director and KC-135 program manager for Boeing. "Partnerships among business and education and training institutions to create intellectual capital will be critical, as will partnerships between education and training institutions to create and adapt a workforce.

"The most important initiative for Oklahoma is to create aerospace centers on excellence in partnership with education and training," said Robinson. "These partnerships will create intellectual capital, research partnerships and a work force ready to compete with anyone in the world."

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education reports that between fall 2001 and fall 2005, enrollments in Oklahoma's bachelor degree programs in aerospace engineering grew by 55% and enrollments in masters programs grew by nearly 130%. 

Oklahoma's Department of Career and Technology Education offers employers seeking to quickly up-skill their existing workforce their Business and Industry Services (BIS) programs to achieve training related to their specific needs.  During FY'05 Career Tech had 16,061 enrollments in BIS courses that support the aviation industry.  In 2005 CareerTech graduated their first class from seven Pre-Engineering academies established throughout the state.  The academies were established with the cooperation of several Oklahoma high schools, colleges, and universities in order to boost the number of engineers graduating from Oklahoma's educational pipeline. 

To resolve current and projected aerospace workforce shortages, the study recommends collaboration among aerospace employers, Oklahoma's educators, and economic development leaders to ensure that aerospace workforce solutions are made a priority.

The recommendations address issues uncovered by the study such as:

• Maintaining a flexible educational pipeline;
• Identifying and supporting best practices for student retention at the K-12 level;
• Promoting the expansion and development of industry internships and job shadowing;
• Increasing retention rates at Oklahoma CareerTech schools, colleges and universities; and
• Identifying opportunities to develop more bachelor degrees in technology that support the two-year to four-year degree transition.