AAR announced recently that it is partnering with the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) to offer its students an internship program with real-world experience. Starting this winter, AAR Airlift plans to hire up to four paid interns from FIT to work alongside experts in its Engineering, IT, Flight Operations or Quality/Safety departments. Students will work approximately 15 hours a week, or as class schedules permit, for 13 weeks, coinciding with their spring semester.
“We are collaborating with FIT to cultivate the next generation of innovators,” said Randy J. Martinez, President, AAR Airlift. “These students will gain invaluable hands-on experience and perspective from leaders in their field. That experience, in turn, will expand the talent pool from which AAR and other companies draw top notch engineers and aviation professionals.”
Airlift executives plan to meet periodically with FIT deans and faculty to assess program results and identify other opportunities for a fruitful exchange. FIT’s College of Engineering, for example, has invited AAR to help judge its senior design project.
“We appreciate the partnership with AAR Airlift and look forward to working together to develop top talent for the future,” said Dona Gaynor, Director of Career Management Services at FIT. “The internship opportunities offered by AAR Airlift will provide real world experience to FIT students to help them excel in their academic programs and their careers.”
The partnership with FIT is another example of the Company’s commitment to developing a robust talent pipeline. AAR has extensive education partnerships established in other cities around the country including Miami; Oklahoma City; Chicago; Garden City, New York; and Goldsboro, North Carolina.
AAR Airlift, which celebrated its grand opening at Melbourne Airport in 2011, provides expeditionary airlift service to government and defense customers around the world with its fleet of more than 60 aircraft. AAR is currently the largest airlift provider to the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan and has assisted missions around the world, including in Africa and the Western Pacific.
AAR Airlift is a Space Coast EDC Investor, and a member of the Melbourne and Palm Bay Chambers of Commerce. Airlift employs over 200 locally, plus an additional 500 pilots, mechanics and technicians supporting aircraft overseas.