The aviation industry is poised for significant growth. According to a report published by Boeing, long-term demand for newly qualified aviation personnel is strong: 649,000 new pilots, 690,000 new maintenance technicians and 938,000 new cabin crew members will be needed to fly and maintain the global commercial aviation fleet over the next 20 years.
In response to this demand, Atlas’ Workforce Development team has built important partnerships and participated in a variety of events around the country with universities to recruit our future workforce.
“Spring and fall are the seasons for heavy recruiting,” said Leisa Spears Snyder, Director of Workforce Development. “In addition to looking for talent to fill our Pathway to Success program, we are also looking for candidates for our summer internship program.”
“As two of our core values, Safety and Innovation naturally play a large role in everything we do at Atlas.” Leisa noted, “We need to think innovatively about pathway development with an eye on safety and these schools boast strong aviation programs with a concentration of safety-related curriculum. We also work with the schools to provide experiential learning for students that engages them in real world industry experience.”
Here is a quick snapshot of the team’s recent itinerary:
Vaughn College Career Fair
On March 13, the Atlas team attended a career fair at Vaughn College in New York. Along with Lesia, Atlas Chief Pilot and 767 Captain Oscar Mendoza and Talent Acquisition Crew Specialist Karina Guevara were on hand to provide information about the Company and answer questions from students.
“We are fortunate to have hundreds of Vaughn graduates among our workforce,” said Leisa. “Vaughn College and Atlas also share a common commitment to diversity. Vaughn serves a diverse student body of about 1,300 students who are 80% minority, consisting mostly of first-generation Americans and first-generation college students. The Vaughn College team does a phenomenal job of removing barriers for students and creating equitable access to education.”
In May 2023, Vaughn joined Atlas’ University Pipeline Program, where Atlas Air recruits, trains and hires qualified graduates of Vaughn College.
(L-R) Atlas Chief Pilot and 767 Captain Oscar Mendoza, Leisa Spears Snyder and Karina Guevara at the Atlas booth.
(L-R) Leisa Spears Snyder with Matthew Small, a Pathway to Success graduate and Vaughn alum, who stopped by to say hello.
Embry Riddle Spring Career Expo
The following week, the Atlas team headed to Florida for the Embry Riddle Spring Career Expo to meet and recruit future pilots.
747 Captain Robert Scheulen, 737 First Officer Wes Atteberry and 737 First Officer Cade Kennemer represented Atlas at a pilot networking event where they connected with students.
The pilots offered a unique perspective as Captain Scheulen and FO Atteberry are Embry Riddle alums. First Officers Atteberry and Kennemer are also both recent graduates of the Atlas Air University Pilot Pathway to Success program.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to get to talk with so many people who are enthusiastic about the aviation,” industry said Captain Scheulen. “We have grown so much since our early days of just one or two people standing at a small table representing Atlas. We have representatives from across the Company – including senior leaders – actively engaging with the Embry Riddle student body. This bolsters our recruiting efforts significantly. Atlas offers so many career paths within aviation and we are focused on communicating that to the students.”
In addition to the pilot event, Atlas hosted a table at the career expo, staffed by Travis Hall, Director, Tech Ops; Jeff Taylor, Talent Acquisition Specialist and Leisa Spears Snyder.
(L-R) Travis Hall, First Officer Kennemer, Captain Scheulen, First Officer Atteberry and Jeff Taylor.
(L-R) First Officer Cade Kennemer, Leisa Spears Snyder and First Officer Wes Atteberry.
Purdue Aviation Day
Atlas was a proud sponsor of Purdue Aviation Day (PAD), which took place on April 13. Organized exclusively by student leaders within Purdue University’s School of Aviation & Transportation Technology, PAD brings the industry and the community together in one big celebration of aviation.
The career expo, where Atlas was an exhibitor, provided students and local community members the chance to engage with industry professionals, gaining valuable insights into various career paths within aviation.
The event included numerous static aircraft displays, offering an up-close look at commercial, general aviation and military aircraft.
On site for Purdue Aviation Day were Atlas team members Brad Hubbard, Senior Structures Engineer; Chris Grable, Chief Pilot; Leisa Spears Snyder; First Officer and Purdue Alum Lauren Purnell; Sermo Barracks, Senior Manager of Reliability and Chris Jarvis, Talent Acquisition Specialist.
(L-R) The onsite team: Brad Hubbard, Chris Grable, Lesia Spears Snyder, Lauren Purcell, Sermo Barracks, and Chris Jarvis.
(L-R) Lauren Purnell, Captain Darrin McElroy – winner of the B747-8 model, and Chris Grable.
Multiple commercial aircraft on display for attendees to tour and explore.
Attendees were able to get an up-close look at an Indiana Army National Guard Sikorsky UH-60L Blackhawk.
