The NBAA has launched the first phase of its mentoring program, which will match experienced business aviation experts with individuals interested in a career in the sector.
The beta version of the program matches 20 sets of people based on their specific interests and goals of both the mentees and mentors, and participants must be at least 18 years old.
Brian Koester, manager of operations at NBAA, said, “The great thing about the program is it’s designed for everyone. [The program includes] college students looking to find their way into a business aviation career, people already in the industry looking to make a step up, [and] people at a crossroads in their career trying to decide if they want to stay on the path they’re on or maybe turn down a different road within business aviation.”
The NBAA started building a list of potential mentors a few years ago through a membership survey, and later followed up with email notices to members of NBAA committees. The program was designed by a steering group, with input from NBAA’s Young Professionals Council, the association’s Domestic Operations Committee and Business Aviation Management Committee, along with NBAA staff members.
Some mentees are undergoing a transition in their flight departments, moving up from a turboprop to a jet, beginning international operations or putting an aircraft on a Part 135 certificate. One of the initial participants is an experienced business executive and CEO of a company who is looking for guidance as to what the aviation industry is all about.
Mentees and mentors will be asked to sign a best practices agreement that will include goal, confidentiality, how often they will meet and an end date to work toward. The first class will run from January through June and a nine-month program will commence in September 2019, followed by the full program in autumn 2020.
