Organization

Who We Are:  The Employ Florida Banner Center for Aviation and Aerospace, a program of the Aerospace Resource Center (ARC), is headquartered on the Florida State College at Jacksonville Cecil Center South Campus/Aviation Center of Excellence – is a collaboration of academic, workforce, economic development, and industry partners seeking to insure that the knowledge and skills of Florida’s aerospace workforce are relevant and technically-current to support the components and systems they maintain.

Mission:  The Employ Florida Banner Center for Aviation and Aerospace provides training, certification, and support for the continuation and expansion of Florida’s aviation and space industries.  Besides crafting relevant curricula that address technological advances and changing workforce skills requirements, the Banner Center engages in business incubation initiatives, skills identification and credentialing, industry pipeline development, and the current as well as future economic development of the aerospace industry.  Towards these ends, this collaborative system serves as a resource center for creating a unified workforce education and training system to meet the needs of Florida’s aerospace industry. 

Oversight:  The Aviation and Aerospace Industry Advisory Council is comprised of executives from industry, workforce, and educational organizations that provide oversight to insure that Banner Center activities focus on and support industry’s needs.  Representation on the Council includes members from the Smithsonian Institution, JetBlue Airways, the Florida Aviation Aerospace Alliance, Astrotech Space Operations, Indyne, D3 Air & Space Operations, Piper Aircraft, Space Florida, Liberty Aerospace, NASA, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Adacel Systems, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Regional Workforce Boards, Workforce Florida, Enterprise Florida, and state-wide educational institutions.   

Activities:  Banner Center activities aimed at providing value and assistance to Florida’s aviation and space industries during its third year (2009-2010) included:

• Continued development and delivery of industry-driven curricula focused on training for entry-level, mid-level, and advanced incumbent workers that satisfy the current and future workforce needs of the aerospace industry.
• Hosting of regional focus groups across the state to assess curricula needs for transitional and emerging aerospace occupations and related industry-recognized certifications.
• Working to build the pipeline of skilled workers for the aerospace industry through recruitment, articulation of educational programs, and partnerships with workforce organizations that serve job seekers. 
• Pursuing aerospace industry growth via collaboration with regional workforce boards, economic development organizations, and state agencies to assist companies relocating within the state and to attract new aerospace industry to the state.
• Crafting a business model/infrastructure that leads to revenue generation and a sustainable Banner Center.
• Expanding the Banner Center’s impact on the training, education, and workforce needs of Florida’s educational-training-industry communities by identifying new customers and creating new partnerships. 

The Aviation and Aerospace Industry Advisory Council

The Advisory Council has primary responsibility for providing guidance and oversight to the Banner Center for Aviation and Aerospace.  The Council is comprised of a majority of aerospace industry representatives encompassing the geographic regions of the State of Florida, as well as regional workforce boards, economic development organizations, and public and private education institutions.

The Council will assist the Banner Center in identifying current industry needs, current training capabilities, and future growth potential with the aerospace industry cluster.

Advisory Council Members: