United Airlines will partner with Metropolitan State
University in Denver on a program that establishes a direct pathway between the
school and a job as a United pilot.
The Career Path Program will commence with next school year's
fall semester and will be the first direct pathway between a university
aviation department and a position in the cockpit of a major U.S. airline.
"The Career Path Program will help address the
continued need for new pilots and create an additional pipeline for
well-trained United pilots," the airline said.
The establishment of the program comes as the U.S. faces a
pilot shortage that will reach 3,500 commercial pilots by 2020, according to
the University of North Dakota's 2016 Pilot Supply Forecast.
Career Path Program participants won't get a break on the
federally mandated requirements for becoming a commercial pilot at a U.S.
airline. Participants will still have to log 1,000 hours of flight time before
assuming the copilot's chair at a carrier, the same requirement that applies to
all graduates of four-year university aviation programs.
Participants will begin their commercial pilot careers at
CommutAir, Air Wisconsin or ExpressJet, which are United's regional airline
partners for the program.
"There, they must meet the service requirements,
required performance record and accumulated flight hours before having an
opportunity to fly for United," the carrier said.