The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is implementing the first phase of a mentoring program, matching experienced industry veterans with individuals wanting to explore opportunities in business aviation.
The “beta” version of the program matches 20 sets of people who were paired based on the specific interests and goals of both the mentees and the mentors, according to Brian Koester, NBAA’s manager of operations.
“The great thing about the program is it’s designed for everyone,” he added.
The first class includes a diverse group, according to Koester, ranging from “college students looking to find their way into a business aviation career, people already in the industry looking to make a step up, 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.”
Other mentees may be facing 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.
Both mentees and mentors will be asked to sign a best practices agreement covering goals, confidentiality, how often they will meet and a specified end date.
The end date was added so potential mentors would be more willing to participate knowing “they’re not on the hook forever,” Koester said.
The first class will run from January through June. A nine-month program will commence in September 2019, followed by the full program in the fall of 2020.
Participants must be at least 18 years old, NBAA officials note.