Futures in Aerospace

Pathways to Aviation addresses workforce shortages and enhances economic development, which significantly impacts the aviation industry. The paths taken to pursue the vision will be through the following deliverables: -, Empowering a new generation of aviation experts and leaders. -, Filling jobs with quality labor. -, Awarding scholarships to students attending four-year, two-year, and specialty instruction. -, Spearheading a vibrant aviation community, fostering informative outreach, new and mutually-benefit collaborations, and workforce connections and pursuits. -, Fostering 100% of hiring from local and nearby locations. -, Demonstrating measurable ROI on sponsorship and charitable investments. -, Pursuing aviation education in schools. -, Forging new territory in aviation, aerospace, and unmanned aerial systems. -, Serving as the voice and source of aviation.

The Futures in Aerospace initiative connects students to industry, aviation executives, and college and career opportunities. Students obtain an understanding of their hard and soft skills, articulate those skills on their resumes, share the skills and passions through face-to-face interaction, and develop strong relationships with aviation leaders. There’s a great deal of skilled talent in areas impacted by nearby airports (large to small). The program identifies interested students and builds pathways to guide them toward continued education and/or direct workforce employment. The careers and mentoring program provides career readiness tools, best practices, and mentors, thus elevating their chances of pursuing their educational and career goals. The career development workshops are conducted in multiple locations. They feature presentations by aviation executives, who share their experience, descriptions of their company specialties, overviews of hiring practices, and career-focused advice. In addition to the presentations, students will receive career planning best practices, such as skills identification, resume writing, interviewing tips, and networking instruction. The goal is for students to be well prepared to meet aviation executives and recruiters at the large networking reception, with resumes in hand, creating strong first impressions, conducting meaningful dialogue, and taking strategic next steps. If all goes well for the students, they’ll leave with job shadowing, internship, and part and full-time employment commitments.