AAR (NYSE: AIR), a leading provider of aviation services to commercial airlines and governments worldwide, joined the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) and the City of Norfolk to announce AIM as the newest AAR EAGLE Career Pathway partner at the college’s main campus in Norfolk on July 25.
Beginning this fall, AIM students around the country will have the opportunity to receive onsite job training and mentorship at AAR’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangars and graduate with employment and reimbursable advanced certification opportunities.
“As a top employer of AIM graduates, we are honored to collaborate with AIM’s esteemed academic leaders around the country to add this advanced, hands-on element to their A&P certification program,” said Ryan Goertzen, AAR vice president of maintenance workforce development. “The EAGLE Career Pathway program equips students with onsite job experience and competitive skills, so they graduate prepared for the workforce and educated about the various aviation fields and certifications they can pursue to grow their career. We also look forward to extending graduates the exciting job offer to join AAR’s MRO team.”
With 12 campuses in 10 states and fast-growing enrollment, AIM is the largest producer of new aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) in the aviation industry. AAR’s EAGLE Career Pathway initiative adds a new internship component to AIM’s 23-month AMT program. In the program, students complete a site visit at one of AAR’s U.S. MRO facilities based in Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Miami, Duluth and Rockford for initial onsite mentoring. During their winter and spring vacations, the students then return to the site for an AMT internship with the AAR team.
“The mentorship and internship aspects of the EAGLE Career Pathway program will offer students hands-on experience within the authentic MRO work environment,” said Dr. Joel English, AIM vice president of operations. “Students who are selected for this program will benefit from authentic work experience and will be front-running candidates for a professional role at AAR or any other professional aviation maintenance organization upon graduation.”
The students who graduate from the AIM and EAGLE Pathway programs will be extended job offers to join AAR as an entry-level AMT. They also have the option to continue the EAGLE Pathway program to obtain an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate or pursue another of AAR’s career pathways, including maintenance operations, management, quality control and safety, which will be eligible for tuition reimbursement from the company upon completion.
“I am pleased to congratulate AIM and AAR on their partnership to provide new growth opportunities for AIM students to advance their career goals through the EAGLE Pathway Program,” said Thomas Smigiel, City of Norfolk councilman, Ward 5. “I am also excited that this opportunity will help inspire more City of Norfolk K-12 students to pursue a post-secondary career in aviation maintenance.”
AIM is the sixth academic institution to join the EAGLE Pathway program. AAR just graduated its first cohort of participants at Olive-Harvey College of the City Colleges of Chicago, where AAR helped to build the institution’s new transportation program and design their newly-offered aircraft sheet metal program.
