Edwardsville, Illinois – The innovative opportunities exposing St. Louis-area students to the world of aerospace and avionics were on full display August 14 during a Global Aerospace Summit held in O’Fallon, Illinois. Those opportunities were the focus of a panel discussing featuring Dustin Bilbruck, Assistant Superintendent at Belleville Township High School District 201; Mike Conley, Director of Workforce Development and Career Pathways at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC); Becky Epps, Manager for St. Louis Community College’s (STLCC) Center for Workforce Innovation; and Tony Fuhrmann, Director of Employment and Training for Madison County. The panel was moderated by KTVI Fox 2 Anchor and Reporter Andy Banker, who facilitated the discussion regarding innovative ways these institutions are addressing industry needs and the power of partnerships and hands-on training in preparing the next generation for high-demand aviation and avionics careers.
Dustin Bilbruck explained how the district’s Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (The CAVE) helps students develop their skills in 11 different trades-focused programs, including advanced aviation and aviation technology and maintenance, and connects them with trade industry partners in the area.
“We essentially took a backwards planning model towards developing our curriculum and our instruction,” Bilbruck said. “We went to industries first and we got their feedback about the opportunities that they had for our kids. We said, ‘What credentials do they need? What qualifications? What skills in order to come work for you and be ready for you?’”
Bilbruck outlined the two different paths students can branch into when they get to The CAVE, so they have options. On the professional pilot aviation side—the advanced aviation program—he said they use flight simulation, actually logging hours towards FAA credentials. They go through meteorological patterns and airplane instrumentation. The other side is working on aircraft interiors, exteriors and avionics, the tech and maintenance side.
Bilbruck highlighted the collaboration between The CAVE and Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., which includes an apprenticeship that’s been in place for several years. It has enabled more than 30 students to transition directly from high school to skilled positions at Gulfstream.
Building on the theme of industry collaboration, Becky Epps discussed the Center for Workforce Innovation’s partnership with Boeing, which has evolved from a pre-employment program to an apprenticeship program to appeal to those who want to dive headfirst into their career. During the apprenticeship, students work 40 hours a week and earn while they learn from retired Boeing employees.
Epps noted that when the partnership with Boeing began in 2007, it was one pathway—sheet metal assembler riveter; then they brought in the composites training, and most recently added electrical mechanical. The original pre-employment program graduated more than 1,400 students, with 1,200 hired by Boeing, and they are adding to those numbers with the new apprenticeship program. She also highlighted the 96,000 square foot Advanced Manufacturing Center opened by STLCC earlier this year on its Florissant Valley campus, where they are bringing together all of their workforce and credit programs around manufacturing and business.
Mike Conley discussed how SWIC has been involved in aeronautics and aviation since 1970, highlighting the college’s unique role as a Part 147 training school.
Tony Fuhrmann, whose department works very closely with West Star Aviation on its workforce needs in the region, helped the audience better understand the types of skills needed in the expanding avionics industry, explaining that it’s a combination of computer and electronic skills required to wire everything that makes things work in an airplane.
The inaugural Global Aerospace Summit was presented by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois in partnership with Madison County, St. Clair County, and Bi-State Development’s St. Louis Regional Freightway. It drew 400+ industry leaders, educators, government officials, workforce development experts and career seekers who learned about the St. Louis region’s aerospace assets, its potential for continued growth and innovation and various initiatives to grow the workforce.
To learn more about the Global Aerospace Summit, visit https://leadershipcouncilswil.com/gas2025/