Earlier this month, Eastern Kentucky University announced a partnership with Allegiant Air. It’s the 12th school in the nation to enter into a partnership with the airline. The program includes employment opportunities for EKU seniors, alongside more mentorship and help with credentials. School President David McFaddin announced the partnership during a press conference earlier this month. “We’ve seen significant enrollment growth at the institution,” McFaddin said. “We’ve seen significant growth in flight hours. We’ve seen a significant growth in this program, and I could not be more proud of the individuals who are part of this program.” EKU already reports a 100 percent job placement rate at its School of Aviation after graduation. It currently houses 460 students. Elijah Wolf is a senior in the program. He says the partnership with Allegiant strengthens the school’s pipeline to the workforce. “It’s an opportunity for students to go directly from our program to the air to Allegiant and without cutting out all the extra work in between,” Wolf said. Students like Wolf will get more one-on-one professional advice as part of the program. “So maybe perfecting that resume, getting involved in our community, volunteering, all those extra things that make you a little bit better, put you ahead of everyone else,” Wolf said. Allegiant program manager Robert Butler says it’s also a way to bolster aviation workforce numbers. “This is a thing for us to deal with the pilot shortage,” Butler said. “That’s going to happen. I mean, you can see it already. It’s been predicted there’ll be 4,000 pilots short next year.” Potential pilots need a certain amount of hours logged before they can get licensed for commercial flights by the Federal Aviation Administration. Dustin Gosney is a flight instructor at EKU. “Probably the most popular way that people go about that is getting their CFI – Certified Flight Instructor – rating and certification, and then teaching other people how to fly, and they get to log those hours as well,” Gosney said. The partnership doesn’t affect the day-to-day routine for students, but it does help them prepare for after they complete their hours. “As they build those hours, they can be in these pathway programs and do these mentorship sessions and just learn about that airline world,” Gosney said. Houston Glass works both as a professor in the school’s aviation department and as a flight instructor at the nearby Central Kentucky Regional Airport. He says that partnership shows a big difference between generations. “It was feast or famine whenever I came up in the ranks, and you had to do a significant amount of outsourcing and resource development on your own to be able to get to the point where I am now,” Glass said. It’s also a way to connect with members in the industry on a personal level. “Their mentors are actually pilots that are out there working on the line and know what’s going on now, and know what’s affecting the industry and what the future holds,” Glass said. It also comes as EKU is investing $25 million into a new flight school at Central Kentucky Regional Airport, and another $4.5 million into a new terminal building. ** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, and fact-based journalism. Monthly supporters are the top funding source for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation. The post EKU aviation students receive mentorship, career help with airline partnership appeared first on The Lexington Times.