CNN news story featured Cincy State Aviation Maintenance program

Academics, Faculty & Staff, In the Media, Students

Mar 11, 2026

CNN cameraman filming Aviation Maintenance students during lab activities — CNN filmed Aviation Maintenance Technology students during their lab activities

Cincinnati State’s Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program, and the need for additional trained mechanics to serve the aviation industry, were the focus of a story that aired February 27, 2026, on the CNN news program “The Lead with Jake Tapper.”

The national TV news story included interviews with Cincinnati State students and faculty members.

AMT Program Chair Jeff Wright said CNN’s interest in airing a story that focused on the AMT program was an outgrowth of the ongoing relationship between GE Aerospace and Cincinnati State.

Wright said, “Elliott Ruther (Cincinnati State’s Chief of Advancement) and I met with a GE leadership team last summer, and GE leaders have toured the Cincinnati West campus.”

**CNN reporter learns about AMT courses**

“One result of our discussions was the October event at GE’s Customer Training Education Center, which included Cincinnati State’s President, Dr. Monica Posey, as a speaker, and was aired by Axios TV,” Wright said. “The GE team considered holding their event on our campus but eventually decided a bigger venue was needed.”

At the fall event, GE Aerospace and its Foundation announced a $250,000 donation to Cincinnati State’s AMT program.

Wright noted that the College’s relationship with GE goes back to the 1980s, when many GE employees earned FAA Powerplant certifications at Cincinnati State. The College also developed a jet engine maintenance training program for GE employees that operated at the Cincinnati West (Harrison) campus for more than five years, until GE moved the training program in-house.

He also pointed out that GE has donated millions of dollars worth of jet engines to the College for use in AMT labs.

**CNN reporter Pete Muntean interviews AMT student Taylor Hill**

According to data shared in the CNN story, the aviation industry is currently “about 17,000 technicians short in North America,” with another 45,000 technicians expected to retire over the next decade. By 2028, the deficit in the industry could be as many as 30,000 mechanics.

AMT student Taylor Hill said in the story, “To me, it’s job security and a good career.” She noted that graduates of the Cincinnati State AMT program can earn $28 to $30 an hour as entry-level mechanics, which is far more than many other jobs available without a four-year degree.

Instructor Ken Rohling, a 1987 graduate of the AMT program, said, “Basically [the employers] come in and say, ‘we will take every one of [the graduates] when you get your license.'”

Jeff Wright said he was interviewed and AMT student Matthew Brown also was interviewed by CNN, but their comments weren’t included in the final version of the story.

The story by reporter Pete Muntean included a visit to the GE Aerospace training facility in Cincinnati.

(Photos provided by Elliott Ruther)