Southeast Missouri State University is now among Republic’s 45 collegiate partners

Earlier this week, Republic Airways added another collegiate partner to their list of nearly 50 university and flight school partnerships across the country that establish a direct pathway for students to becoming a pilot with the airline. Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo., announced the launch of their program in May 2020.

Southeast will welcome their first class of pilots to the university this upcoming fall semester, and its students will have the opportunity to earn a conditional job offer with Republic as early as their sophomore year.

“Our goal is not just to train pilots, it’s to help students become pilots and get a job with the airline industry,” Ken Jackson, director of aviation operations at Southeast said.

Republic is well-positioned to help Southeast’s students do just that. Republic Airways was one of the first U.S. airlines to create collegiate pathway partnerships in 2016. It has established career pathway partnerships with 45 colleges and flight schools while working with nearly 350 aviation programs throughout the country for recruitment efforts.

In 2018, Republic’s ab initio aviation academy—Leadership In Flight Training Academy—took flight at the Indianapolis International Airport, once again leading the way by becoming the first U.S. airline to own and operate a proprietary flight training institution.

The Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook 2020-2039 reports that the global pilot shortage will reach 763,000 pilots by 2039 without intervention of creative solutions to attract new pilots to the industry. While COVID-19 seemed to have put a pause on the demand, early retirements throughout the airline industry have accelerated the near-term need of airline-qualified pilots.

“Our investment in collegiate partnerships and workforce development is a critical piece of our business strategy, and most importantly, it’s allowed us to build awareness around the vast career opportunities within the aviation industry,” Matt Koscal, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Republic Airways, shared.

“We’re proud to expand our collegiate partnership list to include Southeast Missouri State University as they launch their program this fall.”

About Republic Airways: Founded in 1974, Republic Airways is one of the largest regional airlines in the U.S. Republic operates a fleet of more than 220 Embraer 170/175 aircraft and offers scheduled passenger service with daily flights to 100 cities in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. The airline provides fixed-fee flights operated under its codeshare partners’ brands: American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. The airline employs about 6,000 aviation professionals. Learn more at www.rjet.com.

In May 2018, Republic opened the Leadership In Flight Training (LIFT) Academy, a commercial aviation pilot and maintenance technician training school in Indianapolis. LIFT uses state-of-the-art training technologies that combine flight, flight simulator, online and in-classroom training. Graduates have a defined pathway to a job as a pilot or aircraft technician at Republic. Learn more at www.flywithlift.com.

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