St. Louis Region Offers Dozens of Programs Building the Manufacturing Workforce of the Future

ST. LOUIS - With October marking National Manufacturing Month, a time when communities across the country celebrate modern manufacturing, the St. Louis region stands out as a hub for manufacturing education and workforce development with a well-established network of programs and centers of excellence that continue to grow in both in scale and impact. These programs are helping to address the rising demand for skilled workers in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and avionics, and the St. Louis Regional Freightway is continuing its efforts to promote their availability and educate students and career seekers about the tremendous career opportunities they lead to.

“Advanced manufacturing is a thriving, targeted industry sector in the St. Louis region, and the strength of the aerospace subsector is particularly noteworthy,” said Mary Lamie. Lamie is head of St. Louis Regional Freightway, which launched the St. Louis Regional Aerospace and Aviation Task Force in 2024 to help build the talent pipeline as more than $5 billion is being invested in the region’s aerospace and aviation ecosystem. “The area is home to nearly four times more aerospace manufacturing employees than other similar sized markets - close to 340,000 jobs - and more jobs are being added every day. We want people to know there are more than 40 different programs across the region equipping individuals with the skills needed be a part of this vibrant workforce.”

Featured in the Talent Pipeline section of AeroSTL.org, the majority of the programs are offered through high schools, community colleges, four-year universities and trade schools. Some are STEM focused programs or youth flying experiences offered through other organizations and open to students as young as middle-school age. Employer-led training programs feature opportunities for high school students and recent graduates, as well as new career seekers.

“Beyond the classroom instruction, students in these programs are spending time working on the mechanical systems and interiors of actual aircraft, flying drones, gaining experience in flight simulators and even piloting planes themselves,” said Lamie. “Others are learning about supply chain analytics and logistics and preparing for other careers that support the manufacturing sector.”

As industry demand continues to rise and needs for specialized training evolve, the number of innovative programs preparing students for careers in advanced manufacturing and aerospace technologies grows. St. Louis Community College celebrated the opening of a new Advanced Manufacturing Center on its Florissant Valley campus in April, and St. Charles Community College just opened its future-focused Regional Workforce Innovation Center in Wentzville in August. Meanwhile, at Southwestern Illinois College, the recently introduced avionics program offers hands-on training in aircraft electronics systems, including navigation, communication, entertainment systems, GPS, transponders and satellite communications. In 2026, Lewis & Clark Community College is debuting a new avionics program and Collinsville Area Vocation Center will launch a new Aviation Mechanics program. These and other centers of excellence are helping to upskill both new and existing workers, ensuring the region remains competitive in high-tech manufacturing and engineering.

“As we see continued expansion in the region’s aerospace and aviation sector, the St. Louis region’s growing number of education and training programs focused on developing a pipeline of workers with the skills to excel in manufacturing, engineering and related fields is a testament to our commitment to building a future-ready workforce,” said Lamie. “We hope that local students interested in becoming part of this thriving ecosystem take full advantage of the available programs that can serve as a launchpad into lifelong, high-paying careers.”

For more information about the region’s aerospace and aviation industry and to access a comprehensive list of existing educational programs, visit the new Careers Roadmaps section of the Aerospace and Aviation Task Force website at AeroSTL.org/Jobs. Beyond linking to the available programs, the Roadmaps highlight sample careers in these vibrant industries, earning potential for these positions in the St. Louis region – where the median salaries tend to be higher than the national average - and provide insight on what individuals need to do to become an aerospace or aviation professional.

About St. Louis Regional Freightway
Established as the St. Louis region’s authority for coordinating support for industrial businesses and the logistics infrastructure they depend on, the St. Louis Regional Freightway (the Freightway) provides site selection and business assistance to manufacturing, logistics and multimodal transportation companies and their service providers. As an enterprise of Bi-State Development, the Freightway partners with public sector and private industry businesses to advocate for infrastructure development that supports the movement of freight, leads initiatives to grow the region’s talent pool, and plays a critical role in marketing the region as a world-class manufacturing and distribution cluster within the City of St. Louis and seven adjacent counties in Missouri and Illinois. To learn more, visit thefreightway.com.

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