Aerospace & Defense

Workforce and education trends for aerospace and defense include:

  • Develop and leverage programs that will enhance the communication between industry, education, and government on short- and long-term workforce needs
  • Lessen the gap between the critical skills required by industry and the capabilities of graduates from the educational system and recipients of workforce training
  • State should support industry and education in the development of new funding models to grow existing business and support entrepreneurial efforts Assist in the funding and development of an employer-driven, standardized core curriculum for post-secondary students.

Texas has been on the leading edge of aerospace and defense from the beginning of manned flight. The “can-do” spirit that comes naturally to Texans has made the Lone Star State a place of many firsts in innovation and industry.  From the earliest bi-planes to high-tech vehicles capable of landing on the moon, all types of aircraft have been manufactured in Texas. The Lone Star State is home to 4 major airlines and some of the world’s most advanced military aircraft are designed and built in Texas.
 
Texas’ aerospace and aviation industry comprises about 200,000 jobs at 1,700 companies with workers earning an average annual salary of about $50,000.
 
Other Texas statistics:

  • Texas has 24 airports with Customs Service (Ports of Entry).
  • Twenty Texas colleges and universities and 36 public high schools offer aeronautical courses.
  • More than 12.1 million departures and arrivals happen annually at Texas’ commercial airports.
  • Fort Worth Alliance Airport is the first purely industrial airport in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Dallas Fort Worth International Airport was ranked No. 27 on the July 2008 “Top 30 World Airports by Cargo” list from the Airports Council International.
  • Texas has more than 42,795 licensed pilots (private, commercial and helicopter).

For a list of major Aerospace employers in Texas, click here.
 
For a list of the top Aerospace and Aviation occupations in Texas, click here.

For more information, visit your local Workforce Solutions Center.