The Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) is now an AAR Eagle Career Pathway partner – meaning AIM students can benefit from on-site training and mentorship at AAR’s aviation MRO facilities. Upon graduation, they will have opportunities for employment and reimbursable advanced certification.
“As a top employer of AIM graduates, we are honoured to collaborate with AIM’s esteemed academic leaders around the country to add this advanced, hands-on element to their A&P certification programme,” said Ryan Goertzen, AAR’s vice president of maintenance workforce development. “The Eagle Career Pathway programme equips students with on-site 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.”
AIM has 12 campuses in 10 states, with its main one in Norfolk, Virginia. AAR’s Eagle Career Pathway initiative adds a new internship component to AIM’s 23-month AMT programme. Students participate in on-site mentoring at one of AAR’s US MRO facilities – which are based in Indianapolis, Indiana; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Miami, Florida; Duluth, Minnesota; and Rockford, Illinois. 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 programme will offer students hands-on experience within the authentic MRO work environment,” said Dr Joel English, vice president of operations at AIM. “Students who are selected for this programme will benefit from authentic work experience and will be front-running candidates for a professional role at AAR or any other professional aviation maintenance organisation upon graduation.”
The students who graduate from the AIM and Eagle Pathway programmes will be extended job offers to join AAR as an entry-level AMT. They also have the option to continue the Eagle Pathway programme 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.
AIM is the sixth academic institution to join the Eagle Pathway programme. AAR recently graduated its first round of participants at Olive-Harvey College of the City Colleges of Chicago, where AAR helped to build the institution’s new transportation programme and design their new aircraft sheet metal programme.
