WAPPINGER – Officials of Dutchess Community College and county government broke ground on Monday for a $15.7 million aircraft hangar at Hudson Valley Regional Airport in Wappinger that will be home to aviation career education programs.
When up and running in early 2021, the new facility will provide needed job training in the field, said County Executive Marcus Molinaro.
“It will create an educational opportunity with a direct pipeline to new jobs that pay well in an industry that needs it,” Molinaro said. “This industry needs hundreds of thousands of maintenance, mechanics and others over the course of the next 20 years and Dutchess Community College, with Dutchess County, is going to be one of the only locations in the region to train individuals to enter this sector of the workforce.”
The college’s current pilot and aviation management associate degree programs will be in the building along with a 12-month airframe and powerplant maintenance certification program.
College President Dr. Pamela Edington said the “state-of-the-art educational facility will allow for the college to expand on its successful aviation offerings, while enhancing operations at our county airport.”
