Free Aviation Maintenance Training for High School Students Begins Oct. 22 at Veterans Airport in Marion
Date/Time
Date(s) - 10/22/2025
12:00 am
Location
Veterens Airport
Categories
Program Funded by Federal Workforce Development Grant – at no cost to students
Marion, IL – October 9, 2025 – Mentoring Mission is now enrolling high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors—as well as older students who qualify—for its Fall 2025 Aviation Maintenance Program. Classes are held after school Wednesday through Friday at Veterans Airport in Marion, Illinois and are completely free, thanks to funding from a Federal Workforce Development Grant. This is the second year of the program. Classes begin October 22.
The program introduces students to the General portion of the FAA Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Mechanic Certification, offering a direct path to jobs, apprenticeships, and further certification in the aviation industry. With over 710,000 new maintenance technicians needed globally in the next 20 years, this training opens doors to high-demand, well-paying careers.
Students will also participate in field trips to aircraft facilities and meet aviation professionals. In March, they’ll travel to Verticon 2026 in Atlanta to compete in a national skills competition. Mentoring Mission students were the only high school competitors at Verticon 2025 in Dallas.
Mentoring Mission partners with leading aviation employers including Boeing (which offers a formal apprenticeship program), Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, FedEx, Crucial MRO, Contour Airlines, Civil Air Patrol, and Midwest Aviation.
For more information or to apply, contact Carol Valentino-Barry at info@mentoringmission.org or visit mentoringmission.org.