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Government, business leaders discuss state's booming aerospace industry Friday, Feb 22, 2008 By Jason Wiest Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - More than 5,000 aerospace and aviation jobs in Arkansas will need to be filled in the next decade, according to Arkansas Economic Development Commission officials who met Thursday with business and government officials to discuss ways to bolster the industry. The department announced the projection at the first Arkansas Aerospace Alliance summit. Aerospace business leaders shared their concerns and needs with education and work force leaders after speaking with current aerospace and aviation businesses in Arkansas about their plans for growth. AEDC officials hope to capitalize on the state's current success with the industry and bring more jobs to the state. The alliance will foster that growth, linking businesses together with other businesses, prospective employees, aerospace students and economic development officials via a Web site launched Friday. "Our research shows that the next generation of personal aircraft, known as very light jets, will soon be seeking locations for manufacturing completion centers and repair and operation facilities," AEDC Director Maria Haley said. "We believe Arkansas is well positioned to meet the needs of this emerging sector." Aerospace and related products are Arkansas' No. 1 export, totaling more than $1 billion in 2006. The state ranks 11th nationally among all states in aerospace exports, and more than 10,000 Arkansans are employed in the aerospace industry, according to AEDC officials. U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, said the state could benefit from the federal government's need to replace its military aircraft. Snyder and U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., serve on the Armed Services Committees of their respective chambers. "There's going to be billions and billions and billions of dollars spent over the next couple of decades trying to replace and rehab and move into the next generation," Snyder said. "There's money to be made, there's jobs to be created, there's families to be supported in this industry ... it might as well be here in Arkansas." "We stand at the ready in Washington to help in whatever way we can," said Pryor, who attended the summit via satellite from Bentonville. "I get a lot of looks at different things in Washington that could benefit Arkansas" as a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Commerce Committee and the Aerospace Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee, Pryor said. One of the major obstacles Arkansas will face in growing the industry is providing a trained work force. Dassault Falcon Jet, which already employs nearly 2,000, has struggled for months to fill about 150 positions, according to company officials. "We are finding people, but not as many as we need, and we're not particularly finding people that are qualified in the higher technology fields," said John Miller, Dassault's director of quality assurance and training. "Because of the customer demand and the growth in the market, we're needing more people than we had first anticipated." Other states that boast a number of aerospace companies are also dealing with the same issue, AEDC officials said. To add to the problem, AEDC learned that some Texarkana high school students, who are commonly hired by aerospace companies directly upon graduation if they stay in a special program all four years, were being hired by aerospace companies in Texas prior to their graduation. The alliance's Web site will allow companies to contact students before graduation and vice versa, AEDC officials said. To try to correct the employee shortage, the Little Rock School District is also trying to get students interested in the field during their formative years, Gov. Mike Beebe said. Beebe promised business leaders he was committed to a public-private partnership to educate a work force to support their industry. "While I'm not on the board of trustees or a chancellor or president, they do listen to me, and the colleges are also committed to it," he said. The alliance Web site also aids aerospace businesses in locating and contracting with other businesses. Dassault Falcon Jet did business with 471 suppliers in Arkansas last year, Miller said. "This is a pretty neat opportunity for all of us," Beebe said. "It's going to work." |
