EDA Supports Aviation and Aerospace Education on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

There is great need for this academy, and we appreciate all the support that EDA has provided throughout this process.

Penny Patterson, SMPDD’s Economic Development Project Manager

Pearl River is just a short drive from the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. Operated by NASA, it is America’s largest and most productive test site for rocket propulsion systems, serving both the nation and the commercial sector. As early as 2005, school officials saw the need to develop a steady pipeline of skilled workers capable of supporting the growing aviation and aerospace fields on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

One of Mississippi’s historic institutions is now playing a critical role in shaping its economic future. Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi, was founded in 1909 with an emphasis on agriculture. It soon became the state’s first junior college in 1921, eventually expanding its curriculum to include the sciences and technology.

The school collaborated with the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District (SMPDD) to earn a $2 million award from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) in 2019. Provided through the Economic Adjustment Assistance program, the award was designed to fund construction of a new Aviation and Aerospace Workforce Academy. In 2022, EDA provided an additional $3.5 million for the project, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

After four years of planning and development, construction of the new Hancock Aviation Aerospace Workforce Academy was completed in mid 2024. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility was conducted on August 5, hosted by state and local officials.

The Academy was constructed on nearly six acres at the Stennis Space Center. The 38,000-square-foot facility offers classroom, laboratory, and office space. There is also an 18,000-square-foot hangar on site that is being used for workforce development. It offers additional classroom space and provides virtual simulation training equipment.

“The Academy is centrally located between Stennis International Airport and Hancock High School,” said Penny Patterson, SMPDD’s Economic Development Project Manager. “We’re getting kids right out of high school and training them for good-paying, high-quality jobs that are in demand throughout our region.”

In addition to being centrally located, instructors praise the academy’s abundance of training materials, eliminating the need to borrow equipment from their partners in industry.

While the new campus will give the region a leg up in STEM educational opportunities, it is also providing additional areas of study, including adult education, nursing, and biology. Students who complete their training regimen will graduate with an associate degree in their given field of study. A course catalog (PDF) is available online.

“This region is quickly becoming a hub for aerospace and aviation industries,” Patterson said. “There is great need for this academy, and we appreciate all the support that EDA has provided throughout this process.”

See a news report on the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Read other EDA success stories.