San Antonio, Texas-based Hallmark University began its free Aerospace College Head-start Institute (Aero CHI) program two years ago with a group of NEISD high school students, training them in aerospace education during the early mornings of their school days. Today these students have completed their high school training program, having saved themselves more than $10,000 in tuition and will reach their goal of receiving two associate degrees from Hallmark University’s College of Aeronautics in under a year. The benefits of Aero CHI have helped two cohorts of high school students from NEISD in the last two years, and will now benefit more as Hallmark University enrolls a third NEISD cohort and announces an expansion to two new schools under SAISD.
Hallmark University began Aero CHI after a report from the Boeing Company revealed a projected shortage of over 760,000 aircraft technicians worldwide in the next 20 years. With aviation recognized as one of the largest industries in San Antonio, every graduate from Hallmark University’s College of Aeronautics has an abundance of well-paying career opportunities available to them. Hallmark says graduates of Aero CHI can use the program as a pathway to grow from lower-income communities to find a high paying career to change their families lives for the better.
“We’re very excited about the continued growth and expansion into San Antonio’s school districts,” said Kurt Leslie, dean for the College of Aeronautics at Hallmark University. “This is an outstanding program for the San Antonio Community because it gives them opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a booming Aviation Industry right here in San Antonio.”
Hallmark University’s legacy in aviation began nearly 50 years ago in September of 1969 at Stinson Municipal Airport training aircraft technicians for a rapidly growing industry, an important role it continues to fulfill today. The Airframe & Powerplant program has since grown and relocated to San Antonio’s International Airport, providing a direct pipeline of skilled workers to nearby aviation employers such as Textron Aviation, ST Engineering, and Boeing. The institution is known for providing a path for students to receive an education in the four industries it specializes in, staying true to its mission which it says is “to change lives by developing superior skills, knowledge, and character.”