W ith baby boomers retiring in droves and the aviation industry trying to grow after the pandemic, solving the workforce shortage problem has become aviation's holy grail. But there's a difference between talking about workforce problems and creating practical solutions. One hurdle is still not enough young people see the aviation industry as a career because we're simply not doing enough to show young people why they should give it a look. There are many examples of industry partnering with academia for solutions, but more of those efforts must continue to ramp up. As a high school teacher at Middletown Public Schools in Connecticut and an academic member of the Aircraft Electronics Association, Paul Pelletier has a simple philosophy for engaging young people. " Education needs to be fun, and it needs to be interesting. " Lucky for Middletown schools that Pelletier also happens to be a commercially rated pilot, a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic with inspection authorization, and the owner of a Piper Arrow. He's also working on his flight Continued on following page avionics news * may 2023 57 Photos courtesy of Middletown Public Schools