Veteran Vision Fund
We exist to support the path of least resistance for transitioning military personnel, veterans, and low income civilians across the U.S. to enter the vocational field of their choice with all the necessary training and certifications.
who we are
Veteran Vision Fund (VVF) was formed in 2023 by the founder of Aviation Service Partners (ASP), which provides top-tier aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. Established in 2020, ASP is a people-centric, service-driven, disabled Veteran-owned small business focused on customers’ needs and successes.
ASP created VVF to attract, forge, and empower the mavericks that will transform the future of the industries we serve. VVF strives to support veterans and civilians to hone the skills necessary to succeed in vocational trades. Our vision is to make America an attractive place for skilled manufacturing jobs to erase the workforce shortage for skilled trades. Our initial, primary focus is to bolster the aviation maintenance field with plans to expand to support additional vocational fields in the future.
VVF is served by a Board of Directors and is overseen by our President, a Marine veteran, and the majority of our staff are veterans.
Meet Our Board
Jess Losada
President
Jess is a skilled leader with over 20 years of experience. Driven by a desire to see people succeed, he takes pride in providing the best customer service possible to his clients. As a Marine Corps veteran, Jess’ goal is to support fellow veterans and transitioning military members in finding their footing as they adapt to civilian life. In addition to his primary executive roles, Jess has an extraordinary commitment to make vocations accessible to, and supportive of, the U.S. workforce.
Enrique Rivera
Secretary
Enrique is a skilled administrator with 24 years of military and civilian professional experience. Passionate about continuous process improvement in his career, Enrique constantly strives to be a better leader, communicator, and mentor. As a Marine Corps veteran, Enrique takes pride in the development of junior Marines and their success, and has a passion for assisting veterans succeed post military service. He believes serving on the Board is important to help close the gaps between educational, hands-on experience and employment which will help all future professionals succeed.
Mitchell Rider
Treasurer
Mitch is a Navy veteran with 15 years of combined experience in the military and civilian sectors. He is driven by a deep passion for helping veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country. Coming from a family with a significant and combined history of military service, Mitch provides valuable insight and perspective to assist veterans effectively. He is passionate about giving veterans the option to choose a vocational path as it allows them to transition smoothly into meaningful careers, leveraging their dedication, discipline, and problem-solving abilities to address the growing demand for skilled professionals.
who we serve
Our primary target population is veterans and servicemembers transitioning to the civilian workforce. There is a growing movement to direct military personnel to maintenance and repair fields as they are growing rapidly; the need is evident and military personnel are often equipped with relevant experience and interest from the time they spend enlisted.
We also welcome military families and civilians, with a long-term goal to reach high school-aged students as well in an effort to grow interest in the field at a young age.
We plan to grow interest in underserved communities with a goal to lower the median age of technicians and increase the percentage of women in the field.
the need
Our research shows the main reasons academic program-enrolled Aviation Maintenance Technician students do not take the Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) exam include lack of preparation and fear of testing. While Part 65 support programs exist, many are too short, fast-paced, and rigid in their delivery. Most programs lack flexibility and differentiation in their academic model, are too basic to provide the complexity required to prepare students for the A&P exam, or offer an outdated curriculum.
Other programs offer on-the-job training, but do not prepare students for the exam or they offer theory training through a degree based program with little to no hands-on experience, leaving them ill-prepared to enter the industry even if they do pass the exam.
VVF seeks to fill this gap by developing modern academic resources to adequately prepare military personnel, veterans, and low income civilians across the U.S. to take the A&P exam and obtain their license.
what we are building
Part 65 Pathway
Our Part 65 Pathway consists of three key components: experience hours review, individualized study methods, and personalized resources. Our model allows students to work while they earn their hours for their certification or pursue their certification for prior experience hours.
Students who do not have enough hours have the option to pursue job placement as an Aviation Maintenance Technician through ASP or an outside company.
A&P Curriculum
We are working to develop a Part 65 A&P curriculum to support differentiated learning for a variety of learning types. We will partner with a contractor to develop 3D aircraft modeling, virtual simulators and circuit boards, instructional videos, smart practice tests, and a tracking application for recording training hours.
Once the curriculum is developed, we will work with our contractors to build it out within an online learning management system to deliver the content to students.
Air|CraftEd
We are in the process of founding a Part 147 vocational school—Air|CraftEd—which will offer the opportunity for students to take virtual classes and gain hands-on experience while working toward their A&P certification. No experience is required for this avenue.
Our program will use the new curriculum to allow students to complete instruction virtually so they can work through the program at their own pace, without the necessity of potentially relocating.
our values
respect
VVF places a high regard on respect for our service users. We also encourage them to pull from their well of self-respect to inspire progress on their journey.
resilience
VVF recognizes it takes resilience to complete an educational pathway, so we aim to encourage mental fortitude, confidence, and resolution in our service users.
commitment
VVF makes a commitment to our service users to provide them a pathway of least resistance to obtain vocational education and secure employment in their field of choice.
integrity
VVF both strives to have internal integrity in how we deliver our services as well as to attract service users with integrity who will enter the vocational workforce.
Exciting updates
PSI Testing Center
We are in the process of establishing a PSI computer based testing center to provide a location at which students can take the A&P exam in Albertville, AL. We are currently in the second round of the application process and have begun getting the necessary equipment and network requirements set up at the future site. Once we have approval, we will be able to offer FAA exams (and other PSI tests) in the office space of ASP’s hangar facility. This will be a great asset to the local area, our AMTs, and students at Snead State whose hangar is located adjacent to ASP but are currently bussed to a testing location.
DOD Skillbridge Approval
With our support, our sister organization, ASP, received a signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Defense (DOD) to join the Skillbridge program. Skillbridge is “an opportunity for service members to gain valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. DOD SkillBridge connects transitioning service members with industry partners in real-world job experiences.”
Part 65 Pathway Kick-off
Our first cohort of Part 65 Pathway service users is set to begin in 2024. We will have 10-15 users in the first cohort and are currently recruiting for the subsequent cohort.
Hiring Our Heroes
With our support, our sister organization, ASP, joined Hiring Our Heroes (HOH), whose purpose is to “connect the military community—service members, military spouses, and veterans—with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified workforce.”
