Cal Poly named a top school for aerospace by aviation magazine

Cal Poly was named a top school for the aerospace and defense industries in a 2015 workforce study by Aviation Week & Space Technology.

The magazine assessed preferred skill sets for new graduates, which schools graduated the most hirees in 2014, and the top schools as identified by young professionals who believe their alma mater directly correlated with their career success.

Cal Poly ranked first among young professionals who felt their alma mater’s reputation had a direct impact on their careers. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was second, Purdue University third and Iowa State University fourth. Pennsylvania State University and the University of Washington tied for fifth.

Aviation Week has tracked employment opportunity and compensation in the aerospace and defense industries since 1997. Its 2015 workforce study surveyed corporations, 1,156 university engineering students and 1,371 young professionals.

“The data collected indicates that despite a 2 percent reduction in the A&D workforce population, 55,000 jobs will be filled this year, with about 10 percent hired from university campuses,” according to Cal Poly.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 2:47 PM with the headline "Cal Poly named a top school for aerospace by aviation magazine."