Shortages in aeronautics mechanics continue to be a problem in the valley and across the country.

The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) is trying to help fill the gaps in the industry by introducing people to the world of aeronautics.

The school held an open house Saturday, which highlighted the growth in the aviation industry and the rising salaries.

One student said the school is helping her work towards her dream career.

“I would love to work on helicopters, like the ones we have here, or general aviation, small aircraft,” said Estella Cload, student at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.

The PIA public career exploration event is inspiring people of all ages to 'take off' in aeronautic Maintenance. The hope is to create an interest in aeronautics throughout the valley, and help fill gaps in the industry.

“We know over the next 20 years, we need to replace 183,000 mechanics in this field. And so we are doing our part to fill that need. The growing demand has really come from an aging workforce. We're sitting at about 60% of our workforce is at or near retirement age,” said Joe DeRamo, campus director at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.

Tommy Yount, lead instructor at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, said events like this are extremely important, especially with the national shortage of aviation mechanics.

“There is a very huge shortfall of maintenance technicians. They foresee with the coming future, that there is going to be, not enough. So this school kind of helps fill that gap,” said Yount.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects about 13,000 job openings for aviation maintenance and avionics positions over the next decade.

Despite the gaps in employment, the aviation industry is continuing to grow and evolve.

“Because of the increase in aviation and traffic and travel, and also the e-economy. The e-economy is really pushing, you know, air cargo and things like that, so we have a shortage in aviation mechanics. We expect that shortage to continue over the next several years,” said DeRamo. “It’s really to get people interested in the field. You know, not only just aviation, but aerospace as well.”

With fears surrounding safety in the sky, Deramo assures the school is continuing to bring out the best mechanics that they can.

“That’s what it boils down to is making sure that they learn the basics, that they understand the fundamentals, and they realize that their actions have consequences,” said DeRamo.