(Washington, DC) - U.S. Representative Jason Altmire (PA-4) announced today that he has secured $100,000 to help advance the unique educational and training partnership between the Community College of Beaver County's Air Traffic Control Program (ATC) and the Beaver County Airport.  The funding was included in the appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (H.R. 3043) which passed yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 276 to 140.  H.R. 3043 must be approved by the U.S. Senate and the President of the United States before it becomes final and the funding is made available to the recipient, the Aviation Sciences Center at the Community College of Beaver County.

"The Beaver County Airport is the only airport in the nation with an educational institution to train students by allowing them to use a working control tower," said Congressman Altmire, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  "The ATC Program provides students with the most up-to-date equipment as they train to become air traffic controllers.  By continuing to provide students with this unique educational and training opportunity, we can help ensure a high quality aviation workforce, while creating jobs and strengthening our local economy."

"The Air Traffic Control Program at the Community College of Beaver County has been training highly prepared and well-educated traffic controllers who are going into towers all over the country," said Dr. Joe Forrester, President of the Community College of Beaver County.  "The ATC Program at CCBC is known nationally for the excellent controllers we graduate, and as such it is one of CCBC's premiere programs. CCBC deeply appreciates Congressman Altmire's wisdom and his decision and foresight in presenting this bill and supporting the need to upgrade equipment for us to continue a state-of the-art program here in this region."

"The FAA must address the large number of Air Traffic Controllers who are retiring. The CCBC Air Traffic Control  program  helps ensure that the next generation of air traffic controllers will have the skills and knowledge to work in the safest and busiest air traffic control system in the world," added Chuck Zielinske, Treasurer of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Pittsburgh Local.  "As a graduate of the ATC Program at CCBC, I have seen first-hand the benefits of the program, and I am pleased that Congressman Altmire has taken such an interest in and has chosen to support one of the top training programs of its kind in the nation."