ST Engineering wants to bring 400 more jobs to Pensacola. Their own training academy is key.

ST Engineering and Pensacola State College announced they are looking to partner to create an aviation training academy to train students in the aviation maintenance industry.

ST Engineering made the announcement during the grand opening of its second hangar at the Pensacola International Airport on Monday — the first hangar to be completed as part of the $210 million economic development initiative known as Project Titan.

Jeffery Lam, president of commercial aerospace at ST Engineering, said the new school would aim to graduate certified aviation technicians for "direct to industry" jobs.

"We are collaborating with local economic development agencies and an educational institution with the backing of the state of Florida Legislature to establish the accredited aviation maintenance training programs that aim to produce over 150 technicians with Federal Aviation Administration certifications annually," Lam said.

The new school will need approval from the Florida Legislature, and Sen. Doug Broxson thoroughly endorsed the idea during his remarks at the grand opening ceremony.

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"We're going to have a charter vocational school that's going to be embedded here across the street, and it's going to send a clear message to our students in high school," Broxson said. "Yes, college is a great thing to do, but does it create a great job? We want to show you a way that you can go directly into the workplace and earn a good living while being close to your family."

The new 177,000-square-foot hangar that opened Monday will double ST Engineering's capacity at the Pensacola International Airport, where its technicians perform maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for aviation companies.

Lam said its two main customers at the airport are UPS and United Airlines.

ST Engineering currently has more than 300 employees at its Pensacola facility. The second hangar adds an additional 400 jobs that will be filled over the coming years at the facility.

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Once the two remaining hangars are built, ST Engineering says it will employ more than 1,700 people.

The third and fourth hangars are expected to break ground later this year, even as construction costs are rising.

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said Monday that despite rising construction costs, he's confident the project will move forward.

"We are working hand in hand with ST to figure out how to get that project to move forward," Reeves said during his weekly press conference. "We're looking at bids. We're working together and looking at ways to make that project work."

Former Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson's first 100 days in office were spent trying to find the final $40 million for the $210 million for the project. On Monday, Robinson stood on the floor of the building he helped close the deal to build.

Robinson told the News Journal the new hangar would not have been possible without Triumph Gulf Coast and the state of Florida backing the project. Robinson said the late former City Council member Gerald Wingate was the swing vote that backed the final piece of city funding for the project.

"Because of Gerald, we have all this. It's hard to believe that was a 4-3 vote but it was good to get that one done," Robinson said. "It was the county that also stepped in and supported it. So, it's been a team all the way around."

Former Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward was a major promoter of the project and helped secure the majority of the project's funding during his eight years in office.

Hayward told the News Journal all that work was worth it to see the employees of ST Engineering who now have jobs thanks to meetings and calls that went all the way back to 2011.

"Politicians don't create the jobs," Hayward said. "We create the environment, the ecosystem, and I'm proud that we were able to do that."

Lam said that the new ST Engineering facility would not be possible without the support of Florida and the Pensacola community.

"Even as we continue to be the world's largest airframe MRO, I can honestly say that we have not seen anywhere else in the world, the kind of support and genuine love as we have seen here in Pensacola," Lam said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: ST Engineering Pensacola State College may partner on training academy