Friends in High Places

Recently Bell Helicopter landed a 407 model on the grounds of a high school near my home to unveil the company’s partnership with the high school.

A Senior Technical Training Instructor and Course Developer will work as a bridge between the school and Bell as the partnership gets underway. In the fall students will be able to start taking a one-semester, introductory class titled Concepts in Engineering. After completing the intro class and a subsequent year-long course, students will have hands-on experience with Bell instructors. The intro classes will feature guest speakers from Bell and other local engineering companies as well as potential field trips to various work sites.

Bell professionals spoke to the students and teachers about career paths that could result from participating in the program. Students would have the option to pursue a technical route, moving into helicopter assembly after post-high school graduate technical training, with possible internships and a continued connection with Bell through a four-year aero-space degree. This is a win-win situation. Students may discover an interest in assembling helicopters, or the field of engineering, and receive a head-start on a satisfying career. Bell Helicopter will be building a potential work-force pool for the future.

This concept would work equally well for many other fields of study in the medical arena, oil and gas production, and the food industry, just to name a few. High schools willing to join in this type of advanced education are plentiful. The possibilities are endless.

Surely many other professions can see the advantages in establishing such a partnership.