St. Cloud Technical and Community College is officially cleared for takeoff. The school has secured Federal Aviation Administration approval to operate an Aircraft Maintenance Technician program and expects to enroll its first cohort this fall. Initial classes will run out of a converted campus lab that already holds two training airplanes, with hands-on instruction slated to move to a purpose-built hangar at St. Cloud Sky Central Airport once that facility opens in 2027. More than $1 million in Minnesota State industry-sector funding and roughly $1.15 million in directed federal dollars have helped speed up the launch.
According to KNSI, the FAA recognition arrived last week and cleared the final regulatory hurdle for the two-year Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) program. KNSI reported that SCTCC will be the fourth Minnesota State institution to offer the program and that graduates will be eligible to take FAA airframe-and-powerplant certification exams.
According to SCTCC, the college first announced the AMT initiative after receiving a Minnesota State Industry Sector Funding Award of more than $1 million in October 2024 and initially set a target to begin instruction on campus in Fall 2026. Aviation Week reported last year that the college was pursuing FAA Part 147 approval and planned to start with a small initial cohort while building capacity to expand.
Hangar timeline and campus plan
The St. Cloud Sky Central Airport authority has sketched out the construction schedule. Civil site work was funded in 2025, and the roughly 30,000-square-foot SCTCC hangar is set to break ground in fall 2026. It is estimated to be complete by summer 2027, at which point airport-based labs are expected to host the bulk of hands-on courses. According to the airport's community report, the phased approach lets students begin training on campus this fall while the permanent facility is finished at the airport.
Funding and industry partners
Federal and local reporting shows the program's budget mix includes a $1.15 million congressional and directed spending award for equipment, per WJON, alongside the Minnesota State industry-sector award cited by the college. Local officials and industry partners, including Delta, Sun Country and Cirrus, have been listed as collaborators in planning and fundraising, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar toured SCTCC's new AMT lab earlier this year, local outlets report.
Why it matters for the region
The push to stand up an AMT program is tied to clear workforce demand. The college and area reporting cite more than 1,500 open technician positions in the field and starting wages at around $32 per hour, with earning potential rising above $100,000 annually after several years on the job. Aviation Week and local coverage note that other Minnesota AMT programs face long wait lists, which could allow SCTCC graduates to move quickly into a tight local hiring market.
Next steps and how to apply
Applications and admissions timing remain posted by the college. SCTCC says application activity and program updates will appear on its AMT program pages, and local reporting links applicants to SCTCC's admissions information for the Fall 2026 cohort. Prospective students and area employers can monitor the college's program page for enrollment steps and lab-opening timelines.
