Yesterday evening saw a celebration happening at Southport in the Stevenson Hangar. 12 students graduated from Red River College's Stevenson Campus in the Aircraft Maintenance Journeyperson Program. The graduation is a culmination of approximately four years of work in the aircraft maintenance field.

Graduate CJ Gonzales describes how it feels.

Dozens came out to celebrate the graduation."It feels pretty awesome to finally get through all the schoolwork and hard work," says Gonzales. "Sooner or later, hopefully, I can get a license to sign off aircraft (to fly). That's the ultimate goal, at least for now. I could always go higher than that even."

Fellow grad Daniel Bergen says he feels aviation will continue to be a booming field.

"I have mechanics in my family," says Bergen. "There's not always a lot of money in every industry. There's definitely a lot more happening in aviation for many years to come."

Chair of the Aviation and Aerospace Progam at Red River College Neil Lavoie, says the program they run at Southport is unique in Canada.

"This program that we have in Southport is one-of-a-kind," notes Lavoie. "It doesn't exist anywhere else in Canada. We deal with apprentices from across the country, not just Manitoba. Not only are we feeding Manitoba but the country as a whole. Every time we see one of these graduates leave, it's big. It's a big thing for us."

Lavoie notes they have pre-employment in different areas of Canada but there is none other that offers a true apprenticeship program. He notes all of the graduates have spent time in the workforce and are ready to be certified. Lavoie says the program is so unique in the country, it's something that not only Portage residents can be proud of, but all of Manitoba as well.