Source: Daily Advance
With more people returning to travel, many airlines need more pilots, flight attendants and airport support staff. The FAA is looking to hire air traffic controllers to help with the demand for flying as everyone returns to some sense of normalcy after over three years of the Covid pandemic.
Delta is turning to partnerships with colleges and universities to recruit for a demanding industry. Elizabeth City State University recently announced a partnership with Delta Airlines that will provide graduates an expedited path to being employed by the Atlanta-based airline, The Daily Advance reported.
Capt. Eric Kendrick, Delta’s director of pilot outreach, told a gathering of aviation students in ECSU’s STEM Complex that Delta’s motto is “Keep Climbing.” He urged students to follow that motto in their pursuit of an aviation career.
“This is an excellent program,” Kendrick said of ECSU’s aviation science degree program. “The reason we are here is that you are an excellent program.”
Elizabeth City State University already offers a four-year degree program in aviation science. According to Kendrick, the top four airlines will add about 8,500 pilots this year alone. This partnership with ECSU will allow graduates to become a pilot with Delta within 42 months by working their first job with a regional carrier through Delta Connection. Delta Connection is made up of three regional airlines: Endeavor, Sky West, and Republic. Currently, the FAA requires 1,500 hours of flight for someone to be a pilot at an airline, those hours could be reduced to 1,000 hours if a pilot holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation science.
Elizabeth City State University is a public four-year HBCU founded in 1891. ECSU is located in northeastern North Carolina in the city of Elizabeth City. Currently, ECSU offers over 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, with several online degree options. From business to education to aviation and emergency management, the university is highly rated as one of the premier HBCUs in the country and one of the top public schools in the regional south.
Click here to read more about Delta Airlines’ partnership with ECSU
