By WILL PERKINS
Glasgow News 1
Like a rocket escaping the Earth’s atmosphere, Barren County High School will be launching a new Aerospace Engineering pathway next year.
Justin Browning, Career and Technical Education and Innovation coordinator for Barren County Schools, said this new pathway will go beyond learning about planes, rockets and spaceships. The program will also look at topics like cars, and how they interact with air, and how drones have been used in agriculture and other industries.
Browning said the school district looks at multiple factors when deciding what pathways to continue and which ones to add.
“We have to look at the economic impact,” he said. “So what does local industry say? What does state industry say and the national trends say?
“We don’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it, but we want to do it because it reflects the economic climate in Kentucky.”
Futuriti.org, a website launched in February that helps Kentuckians learn about career and education options, now features 12 aerospace and aviation careers and nearly 40 Kentucky companies related to those skills.
Senator Brandon Storm said making career data and employer information easily accessible is a meaningful step forward. He sponsored the 2024 AERO Act, which was designed to grow Kentucky’s aviation workforce and strengthen ties between education and industry,
“It will help Kentuckians connect to high-paying jobs, address workforce challenges, and keep our aerospace industry on the leading edge nationally,” Storm said in press release from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
In addition to looking at local industry and national trends, Barren County Schools representatives have participated in hands-on research for the new pathway.
Browning said he and Barren County engineering teacher Nick Carter recently visited the Aerospace Engineering lab at the University of Kentucky, “to hear about what they’re doing to develop and train up these engineers, but it’s all in response to the industry.”
“There’s tons of room in the space for these students to get trained and find great marketable skills.”
