FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Fort Wayne Community Schools announced that they will be partnering with STEM Flights.

STEM Flights and FWCS Career Academy made it official in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. this morning at the Sweet Aviation hangar in Smith Field Airport.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.  STEM Flights is a non-profit group that provides no-cost STEM education and flight experiences to students.

Wendy Robinson, FWCS Superintendent, said “We are excited about this new opportunity for our students,” and adds “Increasing STEM offerings is one way we are preparing students for jobs of the future.”

STEM Flights founder and chairman, Dave Brubaker, indicates that there are a staggering number of high-tech American jobs that are being outsourced. “We see the problem manifest itself in a current crisis with the number of pilots we produce. The Airlines and U.S. Military are especially critically short on pilots and aircrews – a serious concern in an increasingly contentious world.”

The program starts first online or in a classroom according to the Journal Gazette.  Then it moves to the cockpit with missions that are customized to reflect the interests of the students and relate to STEM objectives. Volunteer pilots are paired with students for the final planning and execution.

Marketing director, Carley Walker said “The students actually take a flight with a STEM Flights pilot in which the STEM mission is applied to aviation.”

Brubaker says “Individuals and companies who donate time, aircraft and/or financial support can inspire a whole new generation of pilots and help America regain technical leadership through STEM career choices by our youth.”