Calhoun starting diesel technology and aviation programs in the fall

Yahoo

03-04-2025

Apr. 3—Calhoun Community College will start two new programs in the fall, diesel technology and aviation, and officials said they are both in high demand in the area.
"The majority of the students we project are going to be new students that now see another viable option that interests them," said Calhoun Dean of Technologies John Holley. "At Calhoun, we've never had aviation. ... Now, it's a new offering that hopefully we recruit new students and see growth there. And really, it's the same thing with diesel."
With the diesel technology degree, Holley said, the students will work on the mechanics of diesel engines.
"We're going to start with light truck diesels like you would see an F-350 going down the road, a pickup truck," he said. "Then, very rapidly we're moving into large semis, heavy diesels. Then we'll get into diesel equipment like bulldozers, tractors, things like that. So, we've got a progression; we're going to move into it in 24 months."
Holley said graduates could work for an automotive or heavy equipment dealer as a technician, be a field technician, or work for factories, among other careers. He said they started the program due to dealer demand.
"They keep coming to us and saying, 'Hey, we can't find technicians. We can sell equipment, we can sell trucks, but we're having trouble finding technicians that are qualified to do repairs and service,'" Holley said. "So, we decided we needed to jump in that, help solve their industry need."
There will be two aviation instructors and one for diesel. One program will be held in one of the two 1940s-era hangars on campus.
"One of those will be going into a hangar that our manual machining program is vacating that has been using it for the last 20 years or so," Holley said. "As soon as machining moves into our new facility, everything's coming out of there. We're going to redo the floor, the ceiling, the roof, all new LED lighting, and freshen it up."
Holley said they have a partnership with Pryor Field Regional Airport to use one of its hangars, which is right next door to the older hangar.
The aviation program will have degrees in aviation with a focus on the air frame, which is the frame of the plane, and aviation with a focus on the power plant, which involves the engine.
"We have a number of companies and contracts that have located in the north Alabama region that do repairs on motor craft to helicopters to airplanes to refurbishing military aircraft to flying commercial aircraft," Holley said. "So, just with that demand, the employment demand that we see, we took that on."
Holley said Calhoun was a natural fit to start the program.
"We're right beside a great airport with a large runway, and a lot of economic development going on there at Pryor Field," he said. "So, it just makes sense for us to get in and get started doing that."
Aviation instructor Adam Crow said this is a a great area for the program.
"I believe this area of northern Alabama has been in desperate need of an aviation school for quite some time, and for it to finally be coming to fruition is very important to me," he said. "It is a great honor to be a part in building a technology program for not only the community but to be in support of the local industry that drives the local job landscape and economic growth for this area."
Crow said the aviation program will prepare graduates for a number of career opportunities.
"Students that graduate our program have a vast landscape of job opportunities, not only in our local area such as Science Engineering Services, Yulista, and other aerospace companies alike, but opportunities to travel with the U.S. military and large air carriers such as Delta/United/American Airlines, and many others," he said. "The limits of where they can go and what they do are strictly up to the certified airmen once they have completed the program, because the opportunities are limitless."
Holley said they expect to see a lot of enrollment growth in the two programs over the next couple of years.
"In really all of our technical programs. Industry has really gotten the pay up," he said. "Graduating is really such a good compensation package; it's become very enticing. We're lucky we live in a good area with such a high demand for labor. I think it's going to be a great success when we get it all rolling this fall."
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