 |
|
 |
 Mike
Doyle,
owner, Mike Doyle Custom Surfboards, Corpus Christi
"Everyone"s got all their focus on the T-heads, and that"s fine and good, but
most people who come here are not going on vacation on the T-heads. They"re going
to the beach. ... We need to get Packery Channel developed, put in some more hotels,
get boats in and out, add a few more nightclubs and maybe a Mexican food place."
 Robert
McCoy,
co-owner, Yin Yang Fandango
"Police have bulldozed these crack houses. Why not put something in its place
and turn that negative into a positive?"
 Karen
Middleton,
associate professor of management, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
"We"re working on an outreach program that will help students get jobs and assist
them in starting businesses."
 Ben
Jacoel,
co-owner, Forever Art
"I think (young people in Corpus Christi) have nothing else to do but drink. I
think it would be a nice thing for the city to use some money they"re getting
from taxes to maybe provide a movie theater with movies about history. What better
way to improve the city"s future than to give (young people) something else to
do?"
 Santiago
Aldape,
owner, Aldape Asphalt
"I like to have people understand that we all need to take responsibility for
ourselves. ... Here in South Texas we enjoy a good life. But it doesn"t come free..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
George Gongora/Caller-Times
Students in a Flour Bluff High School aircraft mechanic
class stand next to a Cessna 150-E that is used as part of their studies. About
20 students from Flour Bluff, along with some from West Oso High School and Moody
High School, participate in the class at the Corpus Christi Army Depot.
|
High school course trains students for work at Army Depot
Students can continue education, get job paying as much as $40,000
February 1, 2003
By Tim Eaton
Caller-Times
A select few local high school students are getting paid to go to school.
About 20 students from Flour Bluff High School - along with some from West Oso High School and Moody High School - earn more than $10 an hour as they learn a valuable job skill that they can put to use after school.
The students take an aircraft mechanics course at the Corpus Christi Army Depot. And if they see it through, they will earn a license to fix military helicopters.
The job prospects are bright for the students, military commanders and civilian
instructors said.
The military’s fleet of helicopters and planes are becoming more complex, and highly trained mechanics are more in demand than ever, said aviation sciences instructor Sam Villareal.
Likes working on aircraft
Flour Bluff High School senior Ezra Richardson, 18, said the program at Corpus Christi Army Depot aligns perfectly with his interests.
"I want to work on military aircraft," he said from a stool next to an old Cessna single-engine airplane. "They are working on new ways to attack terrorism."
Besides helicopters and planes, Richardson said new military technology, such as lasers and new tanks, fascinate him.
For Flour Bluff senior Jeff Ray, 18, the class represents a chance to learn a trade and get the feel of working with his hands.
"I like working on things. So I thought, why not work on planes?" Ray said. "I want to work on fixed-wing aircraft. And I figured the best way to get the training is this class."
Knowledge of aircraft
By high school graduation, the students will have a working knowledge of basic electronics, aircraft systems and components, and will be able to perform major repairs on aircraft engines and airframes, Villareal said.
After the high school students finish two years of training at CCAD, they will be eligible to take two more years of instruction at Del Mar College.
And after two years at Del Mar, they will be eligible for employment at the depot and could earn around $40,000 per year. They might also join the CCAD mechanics who have been fixing some of the helicopters that have flown in the war against terrorism being waged in Afghanistan
"This gives them an opportunity to go into a specialized field," Villareal said.
Continuing education
Both Ray and Richardson said they intend to see the course through high school and continue it for two years at Del Mar as intended by administrators.
Besides offering skilled mechanical training to area high school students, the CCAD program is designed to fill a growing void at CCAD.
"We’re replenishing the older work force. We’re seeing a reduction because of attrition," said Tom Diaz DeLeon, a turbine engine repair instructor at the Corpus Christi Army Depot at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. "We’re getting up there in age."
DeLeon said 61 employees out of 2,900 workers retired this month. Most of the retirees were from the Vietnam era and have chalked up 30 years of service.
Contact Tim Eaton at 886-3794 or eatont@caller.com
|
|
|
|
|
