Massachusetts High School Launches Program in Aviation Mechanics

An Andover, Massachusetts, high school has launched an aviation mechanics program. 

The new course of study at Greater Lawrence Technical School emphasizes the educational value of aviation training and aims to inspire students interested in pursuing careers in the field. The school's classroom for the program is a renovated hangar at Lawrence Airport in North Andover. This facility features single-engine planes and helicopters, providing students with experiential learning opportunities.

Greater Lawrence Technical School is offering one certificate program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the school plans to add a second. Administrators told CBS News Boston that a strong demand for airplane mechanics exists, and the program helps students consider other careers in the field.

The program required more than four years of development before school officials could officially launch it. The FAA had to approve all elements of the program, from its curriculum to instructors. According to CBS News Boston, the school spent approximately $7 million to buy four planes, a helicopter, and the hangars at Lawrence Airport for the program's use.

Greater Lawrence Technical School is only the second high school aviation mechanics program in Massachusetts. The first began at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester in 2023.