Pierpont Breaks Ground on $25 Million Aviation Training Center at NCWV Airport
BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — A major expansion of aviation workforce training in North Central West Virginia is officially moving forward after Pierpont Community & Technical College broke ground Wednesday on a new aviation maintenance education facility at the West Virginia AeroTech Park.
The approximately 65,000-square-foot facility near North Central West Virginia Airport will allow Pierpont to expand its Aviation Maintenance Technology program from about 130 students to as many as 230 while also adding training capacity for welding, fabrication, manufacturing and other technical programs.
The project represents a $25 million state investment and comes as aviation and aerospace development continues to grow around the Bridgeport airport complex.
The West Virginia Legislature approved $25 million during a 2023 special session for the state Economic Development Authority to support a new facility for Pierpont's aviation mechanic program, which had reached its existing enrollment capacity.
Pierpont President Dr. Michael Waide said Wednesday's groundbreaking was the result of years of planning and collaboration.
“This day represents something that has been years in the making,” Waide said. “It has taken vision. It has taken investment. And perhaps most importantly, it has taken partnership.”
The new center is being designed to meet Federal Aviation Administration Part 147 standards and is expected to include aircraft systems and powerplant laboratories, FAA certification testing space and expanded hands-on training areas. Additional welding labs are also planned as Pierpont looks to increase capacity in other workforce programs.
Its location is also a significant part of the project.
Students will train within the West Virginia AeroTech Park, near aviation and aerospace employers including Pratt & Whitney, Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, KCI Aviation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The goal is to strengthen the connection between students receiving technical training and companies already employing aviation workers in North Central West Virginia.
The groundbreaking comes shortly after the opening of the new passenger terminal at North Central West Virginia Airport, adding another major investment to an area that has increasingly developed into one of the state's primary aviation and aerospace hubs.
Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and West Virginia Community and Technical College System, described the potential impact of the new facility as extending beyond the college itself.
“What is happening here is generational change,” Armstrong Tucker said. “What you all are doing is going to change the face of your community. It’s going to change the face of the city. It’s going to change the aerospace industry.”
Pierpont's aviation program has operated in the region for more than three decades. Dr. Brad Gilbert, the college's director of aviation technology, said the new facility will allow the program to prepare additional students for careers while responding to workforce demand from the aviation industry.
Pierpont officials said the project is expected to be completed in 2028. Morgantown-based March-Westin has been selected for construction.
Once complete, the center is expected to increase Pierpont's aviation enrollment capacity by roughly 100 students while expanding the pipeline of trained workers available to aviation and aerospace companies throughout North Central West Virginia.
