On Oct. 18th, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson presented an $850,000 check to the Carrie Meek Foundation at Flying Classroom, located at the Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport. The funds will support the development of the Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center, a new facility aimed at providing advanced skills training and job placement in the aviation industry for residents of Opa-Locka, Liberty City, Miami Gardens, and Hialeah. This funding is part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Congressional Appropriations.
The project is a collaboration between the Carrie Meek Foundation and Experience Aviation, a technical training school founded by acclaimed pilot Barrington Irving. Experience Aviation prepares students across the U.S. for careers in aviation and STEM-related fields. The new center will focus on training individuals from underserved communities to enter the aviation workforce by offering skills development, hands-on training, and career development programs.
“I’m thrilled to support the Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center. There is no better way to support our communities than by providing ladders of economic opportunity. People want the opportunity to work hard and be rewarded for a job well done,” said Congresswoman Frederica Wilson in a press release. “Miami is a major transportation hub with high-paying jobs. Too many workers don’t know how to get into the Aviation workforce or lack the skills. That’s why I’m proud to support this innovative job center, which will empower workers with the skills and resources to land high-paying jobs in the aviation industry.”
The Aviation Workforce Innovation Center will feature state-of-the-art labs for 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, electrical systems, and green technologies. It will provide specialized workforce training and job placement assistance, particularly for unemployed or underemployed residents in North Dade and surrounding areas.
“The Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center will be a groundbreaking collaboration between The Carrie Meek Foundation and Experience Aviation,” said Lucia Davis-Raiford, president and CEO of the Foundation, in a press release. “It will open doors by increasing awareness of opportunities, then building the talent base to match those opportunities through expert training, career development and economic impact to our community. We are grateful to Congresswoman Wilson for understanding how well-paying jobs in growing industries can lift the livelihood of families in Miami-Dade.”
Students at Barrington Irving’s Technical Training School also shared their perspectives on the funding announcement. “It meant a lot to me as a young Black man in today’s society because not a lot of Black men get offered a lot of opportunities in this field of work, so it was an amazing event,” said Natory Dixon, a student at the Barrington Irving Technical Training School, in a press release.
“Never in my life did I ever think that I was going to get introduced to the aviation field. It was crazy because I was in Miami-Dade Boot camp program, so I got introduced by there and it was like something good that happened out of something bad because I was incarcerated and I got introduced to BITTS through there, so it means a lot to me because I have something on right now,” shared Dabil Chavaria, a 21 year old student at Barrington Irving Technical Training School. “The event I feel it helped everybody out because they’re going to be able to do a lot more with the funding—more projects, more hand-on tools and I feel good about the whole experience.”
This is a Hy-Lo News Staff Report.
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