Planning underway for B.C. Rain aerospace facility

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile will soon be an international aerospace hub, with that comes jobs; and the Mobile County Public Schools wants their students at the front of the line.

To do that, the system unveiled a new facility Monday that they’re expecting to help take students into the future.

This past fall, students at B.C. Rain got something no student in Mobile County ever has before: training for careers in the aerospace industry.

Jessica Beaman, a student in the program, told us, "It's exciting because the projects that we do like building airplanes, building model rockets, kites, it helps you balance out what you want to do. It's a good program."

Nearly $2 million facility

An announcement on Monday should bring change for the better to the aerospace program. A $1.9 million facility will be built at the school and opened by next October.

Instructor Don Jones told us, "It will be a facility where we can teach sheet metal work, airframe work, and get into the hardcore of what it's like to work on an airplane."

Jones said the facility, which is being paid for by construction bonds, is designed to meet the needs of the employers moving to the area.

"It's been coordinated with all the aviation industry to make sure we've got something they can use," Jones said.

Diverse usefulness

Students that go through the program won't go to jobs right out of high school, but they will get dual-enrollment credit, giving them a leg up on their post-secondary education.

Jones told us the program revolves around honing problem-solving skills and that can help any student.

"Even if they don't go into aviation, they know how to think and they can work through problems," he said.

Getting into the program

Right now there are 30 students in the program. Instructors hope to double that next school year and keep increasing the number as the facility comes online.

If your student wants to be part of this program, you can fill out an online application after spring break.

High-school students from across the county, not just B.C. Rain students, are eligible for the program, but they will have to transfer to the high school to participate.