F/O Mark Haley (United) connects with school counsellors to promote the airline piloting profession as a viable career option for students.

The start of a new school year is upon us. Like teachers and students, ALPA’s Education Committee is preparing to go back to school to inspire young people and equip them with the right tools to become airline pilots.

This initiative, dubbed Cleared to Dream, is part of a multipronged approach to securing the future of the piloting profession—a strategic goal established by the 2016 Board of Directors. It’s composed of an outreach program for grade school students, a professional development program for collegiate aviators, and targeted industry involvement to promote and advance ALPA’s interests.

Measure of success

The Education Committee expanded its outreach significantly over the past five years and continues to exceed expectations.

In grade school classrooms, ALPA pilots lead interactive discussions about flying and life as an airline pilot as well as age-appropriate activities and lesson plans. At this time last year, the committee established a goal of reaching 10,000 grade school students over the 2016–2017 school year. This goal was shattered as the committee supported more than 140 grade school, college, industry, and community events in the U.S. and Canada—reaching more than 12,000 grade school students and more than 1,300 collegiate aviators! That’s approximately a 35 percent increase in the number of grade schoolers reached during the previous school year.

This explosive growth continues at the university level, where ALPA is working to help bridge the gap between the classroom and the flight deck. On-campus university visits provide an opportunity for trained volunteers to discuss all aspects of the career—from the hiring process to life on the line—and answer students’ questions. In addition, field trips are organized to enable collegiate aviators to get a behind-the-scenes look at how airlines operate and experience firsthand what it takes to be an airline pilot.

During the 2016–2017 school year, committee volunteers visited aviation students at five new universities—Kent State University, LeTourneau University, Louisiana Tech University, Polk State College, and Westminster College. These efforts were in addition to its support of the ongoing professional development programs at 10 universities where ALPA has formalized agreements—Central Washington University, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., campuses), Indiana State University, Lewis University, Parks College, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, University of North Dakota, and Western Michigan University.

New resource

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming an airline pilot, and finding information online can be a daunting task. To rectify this, the committee recently launched a new, comprehensive website, www.clearedtodream.org, for aspiring aviators in grade school through college. A one-stop-shop with clear information and engaging activities, it includes stories from line pilots, steps for becoming a pilot, scholarship information, job leads, and more.

What’s next?

Staying at the top of the class remains a high priority. While all efforts throughout the year and at high-profile events such as EAA AirVenture Oshkosh are certainly commendable, the Committee must continue to raise the bar.

In mid-August, core committee volunteers met with staff at ALPA’s offices in Herndon, Va., to strategize for the 2017–2018 academic year. Outreach efforts at universities, grade schools, and within the community remain vital components to the education program. Also key to continued success will be increased involvement within the aviation and national education industries to help ensure that ALPA has a voice at the table.

Plans are under way to maintain and grow these efforts using a cadre of more than 1,700 Education Committee volunteers. Upcoming events in which ALPA will be participating include Women in Aviation’s Girls in Aviation Day in September, collegiate career fairs in October, and a high school aviation symposium in November.

Working under ALPA’s Professional Development Group, the Education Committee promotes the airline piloting profession, mentors aspiring aviators, and prepares future generations of pilots to join the ranks of ALPA members.