Concord and Mount Diablo Unified Expand Aviation Maintenance and STEM Career Pathways Near Buchanan Field

Career Technical Education (CTE) coordinators with the Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), faculty from Diablo Valley College (DVC), and operations staff at the Contra Costa County Airports Division are expanding hands-on aviation technology, drone telemetry, and precision manufacturing workshops for Concord high school students this autumn. Highlighted during an October 2026 briefing to the MDUSD Board of Education and Concord workforce development partners, the program connects students from Mount Diablo High School, Ygnacio Valley High School, Concord High School, and Olympic High School with technical employers operating around Buchanan Field Airport. Participating juniors and seniors earn both high school graduation credits and early college units.

Located off Marsh Drive and Sally Ride Drive—named in honor of pioneering NASA astronaut Sally Ride—Buchanan Field serves as central Contra Costa County's general aviation, air-ambulance, aerial firefighting, and regional commuter hub. Through scheduled autumn hangar field days and classroom engineering modules, participating high schoolers work alongside FAA-certified airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics, flight instructors, and county airport operations specialists to study turbine and piston propulsion, hydraulic flight controls, and digital glass-cockpit avionics.

In the classroom, the CTE engineering pathway integrates Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) ground-school preparation with computer-aided design (CAD) and CNC machining at nearby Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Workforce analysts noted to the City Council that regional demand for licensed aircraft maintenance technicians, autonomous drone surveyors, and mechatronics specialists continues to outpace retirements across Bay Area airports and East Bay industrial parks.

Concord families and high school students interested in spring 2027 CTE academy enrollment, summer airport internships, or dual-enrollment DVC engineering credits can review program guides at mdusd.org or contact district college-and-career advisors at (925) 682-8000. Information nights for eighth-grade families preparing for high school pathway selection are scheduled across Concord campuses in November.