Hawaiian Airlines today announced it had become the newest industry partner of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) SkillBridge program, which has successfully transitioned more than 380 servicemen and women into civilian careers since its inception in 2019.
“Close to 70 transitioning service members around the country who started the program on Jan. 9 will graduate on March 10,” said Angela C. Albritton, director of Military Relations and Strategic Initiatives for Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus. “We’re excited that these program participants will now have the opportunity to learn more about aviation maintenance opportunities at Hawaiian Airlines.”
Approximately 200,000 service members leave the military each year and re-enter civilian life. Embry-Riddle’s AMT SkillBridge Program is authorized by the Department of Defense and is designed to train and place transitioning service members, honorably discharged veterans, and eligible military spouses into Aviation Maintenance-related careers with reputable industry partners, such as AAR, Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, HAECO Americas, and Standard Aero.
“Our industry partners recognize the skills that service members bring from the military, and we are grateful for their ongoing commitment to the program,” said Worldwide Campus Chancellor John R. Watret, Ph.D.
“Partnering with Embry-Riddle through the SkillBridge program is an exciting opportunity to not only increase our hiring aperture but to do so with the benefit of skills and experience gained through military service and the capstone of an industry-renowned Embry-Riddle education,” said Jim Landers, senior vice president for technical operations at Hawaiian Airlines and a former director of operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
The partnership comes as Hawaiian Airlines recruits for hundreds of positions to support its next growth phase. Named by Forbes as the best employer in the state of Hawaii in 2022, Hawaii’s largest and longest-serving carrier provides nonstop flights within Hawai‘i, between the islands and 15 U.S. gateway cities, and American Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Tahiti. This year, the airline will begin welcoming a new Boeing 787-9 fleet and launch a dedicated freighter operation for Amazon.
For service members separating or retiring from the military, the SkillBridge program provides an opportunity to bridge the transition into the civilian aviation and aerospace sector. The program is offered at Camp Lejeune-New River, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; Ft. Campbell, Kentucky; Ft. Carson, Colorado; Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia; and through Hurlburt Field-Virtual. Transitioning service members currently located on O‘ahu can learn more about the program during bi-weekly information briefings at Schofield Barracks.
