Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Awarded Federal Grant for Aeronautical Training

The Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government was named one of seven nationwide winners of the US Department of Commerce’s STEM Talent Challenge.

The inaugural STEM Talent Challenge funding opportunity kicked off in August 2020 to further build STEM workforce readiness and spur innovation across the nation.

The awardees, selected from a pool of 80 applicants, will leverage an additional $2.3 million in matching funds from a variety of private and public sector sources.

Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government was awarded $258,535 and is matching that with $353,503 to design and implement training for community members that fulfills the STEM talent needs of the emerging aeronautics industry in St. Paul Island.

In 2019 the St. Paul Experimental Test Range, which is the largest drone test range in the Bering Sea, was established on St. Paul Island.

According to the award announcement, “The internship and mentorship opportunities provided will immediately prepare residents for existing jobs while building the capacity for automated commercial aircraft manufacturing in the region.”

“Strong STEM talent fuels innovation and entrepreneurship in regional innovation economies across America,” said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development.

“This grant challenge invests in workers through work-and-learn programs and apprenticeships, and these individuals become the backbone of robust innovative and entrepreneurial economies.”