Oklahoma Aerospace Industry Workforce Report - This report is the result of a 2006 survey of state aerospace industry employers about workforce supply and demand and future needs.
Want to see a machinist at work or look over the shoulder of an aerospace engineer or an aviation technician? Get a quick look with career videos at Career Voyages or CareerOneStop. A real-world overview in under two minutes.
www.AeroJobsTulsa.com — Find one of Tulsa's 30,000 aerospace jobs. Sponsor: Tulsa Metro Chamber.
Oklahoma Job Link — Oklahoma jobs in all fields. Create a Job Seeker Account to search jobs, find training, post a resume, explore careers and more. Sponsor: Workforce Oklahoma.
www.boeing.com/employment — Search Boeing's entire employment database for a job in Oklahoma.
www.USAJOBS.gov — The official job site of the U.S. government, it lists both military and civilian openings.
www.faa.gov/jobs — Search for jobs with the Federal Aviation Administration, explore international civil aviation employment opportunities, explore FAA occupations, and more.
Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission
Aerospace Industries Association
Oklahoma's Aerospace Industry Overview
Oklahoma Aerospace Industry Leader Videos
Oklahoma is one of the top six global hubs for maintenance, repair and overhaul services, with the aerospace industry directly responsible for 72,535 Oklahoma jobs. Average state wages of more than $15 per hour make it a strong driver for Oklahoma's economy. Oklahoma aerospace sectors include the following:
Between new job creation and the rapidly retiring Baby Boomer workforce, thousands of jobs will need to be filled in Oklahoma's aerospace industry through 2014. This is just a sampling of the types of jobs and wages that are in hot demand in Oklahoma.
*These projections were based on a survey of aerospace employers based on the economic environment in 2006. As new businesses are recruited to the state and existing businesses grow, these projections change as well. ** This salary is a roll-up of several different occupations that fit this general category. Some positions in this category pay more, some pay less.
Jobs in Oklahoma's aerospace industry account for 4.3% of the state's total employment. While there are very large aerospace industry employers, countless small businesses, particularly manufacturers, service the industry and provide substantial employment opportunities. Visit www.aerojobstulsa.com for a list of aerospace companies hiring right now. And visit the other aerospace jobs links shown at the right.
American Airlines, 7,000 employees, Tulsa American's Tulsa maintenance, repair and overhaul center is the world's largest aircraft maintenance facility, performing services for American as well as other airlines and component manufacturers.
Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, 5,500 employees, Oklahoma City With training, logistics, research and other aviation safety and business support products and services, MMAC is a major complex of the Federal Aviation Administration. It has the largest concentration of Department of Transportation workers outside the Washington, D.C. area.
NORDAM, 3,000 employees, Tulsa A world leader in aerospace repair and manufacturing, Tulsa-based NORDAM specializes in composite and bonded-honeycomb components, fan/thrust reversers, nacelles engine components, interiors and aircraft transparencies.
Spirit AeroSystems, 2,000 employees, Tulsa and McAlester Formerly part of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Spirit is the world's largest supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components, building airframe components for both Boeing and Airbus.
Tinker Air Force Base, 25,000 employees, Oklahoma City Tinker is home to seven major Department of Defense, Air Force and Navy activities with critical national defense missions, including the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, the Air Force's largest repair center.
ARINC, 300 employees, Oklahoma City The company's Aircraft Modification and Operations Center in Oklahoma City performs heavy aircraft modifications and upgrades, avionics installations, aircraft systems integration and other tasks.
The Boeing Company, 900 employees, Oklahoma City The Boeing Company's Oklahoma capabilities include engineering, maintenance, modifications and upgrades, supply-chain services, and others, primarily at Oklahoma's three Air Force bases.
Oklahoma's aerospace industry is ripe with opportunity in any number of occupations, from engineers, machinists, and pilots to administrators, office assistants, and sales staff. Many skill sets that cross over from other industries are a perfect match within aerospace. Survey responses from Oklahoma employers show the following types of jobs in current demand with projections for greater demand.
Management and administrative — general and operational managers, management analysts, research analysts, and information clerks.
Technical — engineers, sheet metal workers, structural assemblers, machinists, aircraft painters, mechanics and technicians, and entry-level production and maintenance workers.
Most aerospace jobs fall within either the manufacturing or the science, technology, engineering and mathematics career clusters. Many of the required skills apply to either cluster, including:
Additional skills you'll need for manufacturing careers include:
Some career paths also require skills in quality assurance or logistics and inventory control.
Two-thirds of the engineering jobs in Oklahoma's aerospace industry require advanced degrees. For electrical engineering jobs, the figure is 90%. In the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Career Cluster, you'll need skills in:
A recent survey of Oklahoma aerospace employers indicated a significant projected demand for a workforce knowledgeable in leading edge use of composite materials that are used in aerospace components such as tails, wings, fuselages, and propellers. If planning a career in aerospace, make sure your education includes composite material key concepts.
In Oklahoma, there are three main sources for education and training for the aerospace industry: colleges and universities, CareerTech, and private specialty schools. Visit the Plan Your Education section for a variety of tools and researches to help find the educational program right for you, including the Oklahoma Career Information System that will allow you to find specific college degree programs for aerospace occupations.
Colleges and universities, including community colleges. Visit the Oklahoma Career Information System database to search for schools by occupation or skills.
Visit CareerTech. Oklahoma's 56-campus career and technology education system offers aerospace-specific programs in aviation maintenance technology and avionics as well as such potentially related programs in fields as pre-engineering, industrial technology, machining, and sheet metal fabrication.
Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology offers programs in avionics and electronics, mechanics, maintenance technology and other aviation fields, including a Bachelor of Science program.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Education and Research page. Lists various training opportunities and other resources.
Oklahoma Job Link. Click on Training Providers in the left navigation column and select from more than 500 specialties, including aviation and avionics specialties, as well as related manufacturing and other fields.