This browser does not support the Video element.
Students at the Western Maricopa Education Center have access to a one-of-a-kind aviation maintenance program that gives high schoolers hands-on experience and valuable job skills.
What we know:
The program, the only one of its kind in the state, teaches students how to repair and maintain aircraft mechanical systems. The curriculum emphasizes preventive maintenance and the importance of ensuring parts do not outlast their lifetime.
"It's a really important job, you have to know what you're doing," student Jasmine Reyes Rodriguez said. "The first thing they introduce us to is a human factor course ... what could go wrong. You have to make sure you're doing everything by the book."
Students work on a variety of aircraft daily in the school's hangar for 4.5 hours a day, five days a week.
Instructor Jay McDowell said the program started with three aircraft and now has eight or nine.
"The demand for mechanics and skills that these kids are coming out with... they're getting jobs right out of here with airlines, cargos, general aviation," McDowell said.
Student Torben Jethrowellever said he heard about the program through his uncle, who fixed Chinooks for the Army.
"I heard about this program and I loved maintenance stuff and aviation," he said.
Dig deeper:
Students in the program can also earn certifications to make them career-ready right after high school.