United has launched a new program aimed at giving 300 students a direct pathway to a career as a maintenance technician.
As part of the Calibrate Technician Pathway Program, United will establish partnerships with the US Army Reserve in its Aviation Command Unit, the National Aviation Academy, the Aviation Institute of Maintenance and the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics.
This program is part of United’s ‘Next’ growth plan, which will see the airline take the delivery of 800 new aircraft between 2023 and 2032. United plans to hire thousands more technicians by 2026 to support all the new planes entering the fleet.
“Investments in new aircraft and facilities require that we also increase our pipeline of maintenance technicians that will ensure our expansive fleet, facilities and equipment are safely and efficiently maintained,” said Simone Drakes, managing director of Calibrate at United Airlines. “Launching this new program alongside highly regarded institutions whose high-quality training and aviation education will help us to reach our United Next and maintenance technician hiring goals.”
Once accepted into the Calibrate Technician Pathway Program, students must maintain a high GPA and strong attendance record to remain in the hiring pool after graduation.
United will host interviews, open houses and career fairs at each of the schools. With the US Army Reserve, United will host career fairs within the Aviation Command Unit’s local communities and provide guidance on Airframe and PowerPlant certification programs to reservists. Recruiting through the US Army Reserve will also help support United’s hiring goals for ground service equipment and facilities technicians.
Reservists and students will be invited to apply and interview at the airline’s Tech Ops Recruiting Center in Houston as a final step after completing all necessary certifications on their own. The airline plans to expand the program to also include its United Express carriers and maintenance, repair and overhaul partners.
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