Jul 9, 2013
July 9, 2013
Program provides mentors, guaranteed airline interview to Westminster pilots
SALT LAKE CITY - Westminster College is pleased to announce a new bridge partnership with
SkyWest Airlines that will offer opportunities for students earning their professional pilot degrees to become SkyWest Airlines first officers.
Under the SkyWest Pilot Cadet Program, students who have earned a flight operations degree from Westminster and have been hired as a flight instructor for the college are eligible to apply.
"We are very pleased to partner with SkyWest-the largest regional carrier in the country- and provide our students with such exciting career opportunities," said Gerry Fairbairn, Westminster's chair of the Aviation Studies Division."
Students in the Pilot Cadet Program will not only be individually mentored by SkyWest captains, but will retain SkyWest date-of-hire while in the program, assist with job fairs and outreach programs and have a guaranteed pilot interview with the airline after their minimum qualifications are met.
Brooke Lawrence, a 2012 Westminster alumna and current Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), hopes to fly for the airlines someday, and believes the program will not only benefit students, but will help Westminster's Aviation program as a whole.
"The SkyWest Pilot Cadet Program sounds like a great opportunity," she said. "It gives students a starting point and helps them prepare for what the airline interviews are going to be like.and it will be awesome to have someone who is a part of the industry that we can ask questions of. Having a program like this will help Westminster students and instructors become recognized by the airlines."
Students in the Pilot Cadet Program must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average, complete advanced jet training courses and attain the FAA ratings of Commercial Pilot/Instrument and Multi-Engine, and Certified Flight Instructor/Instrument.
Students interested in the SkyWest Airlines Pilot Cadet Program should visit: www.westminstercollege.edu/aviation.
About SkyWest Airlines:
Headquartered in St. George, Utah, SkyWest Airlines partners with the world's largest network carriers, including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. With a fleet of 330 aircraft and more than 10,000 aviation professionals, SkyWest operates more than 1,900 flights each day to 175 destinations throughout North America and carried more than 26.2 million passengers in 2012. For more information, visit
www.skywest.com and follow @SkyWestAirlines on Twitter.