PITTSBURGH — As one graduate after another crosses the stage, cheers and applause ring out, a ritual that celebrates hard work and points to the future.

For graduates in aviation maintenance at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, it’s a literal transition: After shifting their tassels and hugging their parents, they head to a nearby building for one last test.

“Every one of the 54 Maintenance students took their final test graduation day or the morning after,” says Derek Vrabel, the student services coordinator at PIA.

The test isn’t for a class grade. It’s to earn the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification for mechanics to work on plane airframes and engines. The coveted credential offers a foothold in an industry eager for new hires: Even before putting on their cap and gown in late June, nearly half of the graduates had already locked in new jobs, while others were narrowing down their choices. Options range from small regional airlines to loftier aspirations.

“I do have a couple of interviews next week with a couple of contractors, and SpaceX in Texas,” says class salutatorian Jon Wojcik, from Buffalo, N.Y. “I’d be applying my airframe skills for that, for the assembly of Starship rockets.”

As for how the new graduates did on the series of oral, practical and written exams that make up the test, Vrabel says 47 of them succeeded on their first attempt. He expects the remaining seven to pass in the coming days.

How do aviation jobs stack up?

Graduates stand at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics as their families and loved ones look on. The school’s aviation technician program takes less than two years to complete and leads to federal certification.

Bill Chappell/NPR

hide caption

toggle caption

Bill Chappell/NPR

Students have long groaned at adults’ questions about what they’ll do after graduation. But few grads have faced as many challenges as the current crop, such as disruptions from remote work, fears of a K-shaped economy, and the spread of AI.

Aviation maintenance is a rare bright spot against that grim backdrop, a field of skilled physical labor that needs a new generation of workers.

“There’s a shortage for both pilots and mechanics,” Wojcik says. “All these people are retiring, I think the average age is 57, of mechanics.”

The commercial aviation industry will need to hire 123,000 aviation maintenance technicians in North America through 2044, according to a forecast in Boeing ‘s widely cited Pilot and Technician Outlook. Compare that to nearly 161,000 U.S. jobs in the field as of 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many of the awaiting jobs promise good wages. The median salary for an aviation technician was $79,140 in 2024, according to federal data. That’s $30,000 above the median wages for all jobs — quite a leap for a program that takes less than two years to complete and costs about $42,000 at PIA.