Washington, D.C., May 01, 2006 – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is providing 28 students from Aviation High School in New York City with a closer look at the transportation industry in the United States during three days of classroom instruction, field trips and guest speakers, including a presentation by Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta.
“We are now in the safest four-year period of commercial aviation,” said Mineta, who credited the record to high levels of training for pilots, flight attendants and aircraft technicians. Mineta addressed the students at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center, the IAM’s training facility in Hollywood, MD.
“It’s our desire to give these students a better understanding of what’s really taking place in the commercial airline industry today,” said IAM Transportation General Vice President Robert Roach, Jr. “With the skills they are learning right now, these young men and women will be well equipped to find rewarding careers in a variety of industries.”
The students, who will graduate with Airframe and Powerplant licenses issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, will pursue jobs as aircraft technicians, assemblers or specialists throughout the aviation industry.
The IAM represents more than 720,000 active and retired members and is one of the largest industrial trade unions in North America. The IAM represents workers in air, rail aerospace, shipbuilding and other industries. For more information about the IAM, visit their website at www.goaim.org.
