Educational Institutions

Atlantic Cape Community College

The South Jersey Economic Development District is working with local educational institutions such as Atlantic Cape Community College to further expand the footprint of the aviation industry in southern New Jersey. The SJEDD helped secure more than $280,000 in grant funding for the purchase of a simulated air traffic control tower at ACCC. The simulation tower was critical in development of the college’s Aviation Institute which provides degrees in Air Traffic Control.

In the recent past, the following courses were taught using the ATC Simulator that is housed in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) building: Control Tower Operations I; Terminal Radar I & II; and Control Tower Operations II.

For more information please visit:

• Atlantic Cape Community College www.atlantic.edu

NSF Grant for UAS Operations and Maintenance Training Project

Atlantic Cape Community College’s proposed “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations and Maintenance Training Project” will advance technician training in the rapidly evolving field of small commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). With funding from the Advanced Technological Education program at the National Science Foundation, Atlantic Cape will research and develop curriculum for a new academic program that prepares students to work as technicians in operation, maintenance, and repair of small (<55 lb.) UAS. The associate’s degree program to be developed will fulfill employer, manufacturer and regulatory expectations; and will include training in aviation regulation; aviation weather; aeronautical knowledge; mechanical/electronic engineering; geospatial data collection; and computer science.  The program will be infused with entrepreneurial training and will expand participation of female students. The project will disseminate curriculum and best practices to other U.S. colleges, with a focus on assisting colleges that do not currently have aviation programs to start their own UAS technician training programs.

The project officially begins July 1, 2018 and will be executed over three years. Five of the new program’s courses will be offered in September 2018 and January 2019, pending necessary approvals the new program begins in 2019 fall semester. Atlantic Cape was awarded $224,761.

More information about the new program.