Fly to New Heights with CTEC’s New Aviation Program

Students walk down the CTEC hallways. Photo taken by Citlalli Uribe Escobar.

The Aviation program is a new program at the Career Technical Education Center, otherwise known as CTEC. CTEC has a variety of programs ranging from manufacturing to sustainable plant science and technology. 

Everyone in there has a genuine interest in aviation, it is so much easier to get along with everyone because we all have a similar standard,

Henry May, ‘25 (above), said.

The aviation program started in 2023 and is currently being run by Amy Divelbiss. The program is run through CTEC which is a career readiness program for all Salem Keizer School  District juniors and seniors have the opportunity to take. It offers a variety of programs with aviation being the newest. 

It lets us get hands-on experience and actual job experience,

Aiden DeRosia, ‘25 (above), said.

Students at CTEC go there every other day for a full day of classes. The program takes place at the Salem Municipal Airport. The Aviation Program allows students to get experience working with drones and planes. The program also allows students to practice flying planes through simulations. By getting the opportunity to practice flying planes in a simulation it gives students the opportunity to get to fly planes almost immediately, once out of school. 

The Aviation program, being funded by a lot of different organizations from the industry, has tons of opportunities for students to get interviews with airlines, airports, aviation mechanics facilities and freelance drone employers right out of graduation,

Nova Cook, ‘24 (above), said.

Two big funders of the program are Alaska Airlines and Garmin. CTEC is a great option for people who want to enter the workforce right out of high school. The Aviation Program has many opportunities and has the possibility of providing many things such as a piloting license. Students also get to avoid pricey certifications due to earning them for free through the program.