BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Congressman Mike Haridopolos visited Space Coast Junior/Senior High School in Port St. John, Florida, this week to highlight federal funding to expand career and technical education opportunities for local students.
As part of a recently passed federal appropriations package, more than $2 million has been earmarked to establish a new Aviation Assembly and Fabrication Program at Space Coast Jr./Sr High. The program would mirror a successful model already operating at Brevard County’s Eau Gallie High School and provide students with hands-on training in aircraft maintenance, welding, painting, and fabrication.
Haridopolos, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, says the funding is designed to prepare students for high-demand aerospace careers right after graduation — without requiring a traditional college path.
Brevard Public Schools leaders say the program would help build a local workforce pipeline for employers such as NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Airbus as the Space Coast’s aerospace sector continues to grow.
The aviation program funding is included in the Commerce, Justice, Science–Energy & Water–Interior minibus appropriations bill, which also directs nearly $14 million toward improving the Indian River Lagoon and $500,000 to modernize the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office search-and-rescue helicopter. The bill must still be signed into law.
If approved, the Aviation Assembly and Fabrication Program could launch as early as the 2027 school year.
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