ROME, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) is announcing it will phase out its Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program over the course of this year.
MVCC’s A&P program was established nearly 20 years ago with the direction and support of the Oneida County Board of Legislators as part of a workforce development strategy aligned with the opening of Empire Aero at Griffiss International Airport. The program served as a workforce pipeline for Empire Aero and several other Maintenance, Repair and Operations companies (MROs) that operated at the airport at that time and years following. Those employers no longer exist.
“MVCC created the A&P program to support a local aviation maintenance industry that is no longer present in Oneida County,” said MVCC President Dr. Randall VanWagoner in a news release from the college. “Given the absence of local employers, historic staffing challenges, and the need to adapt, this decision allows us to responsibly align our programs with industries that are growing and hiring in our region.”
In his State of the County address on May 20, 2025, Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. described how aviation-related development alone can no longer fully support the significant operating costs of Griffiss International Airport, which is owned by the county. With no MROs operating at Griffiss, the County has continued on its path of diversification and placed a renewed focus on industries such as manufacturing, technology, tourism, and drones that will create long-term growth and good-paying jobs for residents.
MVCC and Oneida County will continue to work together on educational programming that will prepare students for emerging opportunities, like Chobani’s construction of a 2-million-square-foot dairy processing facility in Rome that is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs.
New applications to the A&P program will no longer be accepted. All currently enrolled students will be permitted to complete their certificate programs. The program and its county-owned hangar space are expected to cease operations by January 1, 2027.
