<p>You’ve decided you want a career in aviation. You’ve even identified some courses as a pathway to your ideal role – perhaps as a <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot</a>, or aircraft <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=Engineer#browsing">engineer</a>, or maybe an air traffic controller. So far, so good. </p>
<p>Then comes the big question – “How much?” The answer is often “a considerable amount”. To reach the right-hand seat in a commercial airline, it’s not unusual to find that the training costs run into six figures in US dollars. Sadly, that can sometimes put a halt to a budding career or perhaps introduce a lengthy delay while saving the funds to pay for a course.</p>
<p>It need not always be that way though, with help at hand through sponsorships and bursaries. Some of these funds have been around for many a year, but shortages of <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and maintenance personnel have led to an increased number of programmes to help offset the outlay or even completely cover it.</p>
<p>To obtain a scholarship, candidates have a range of sources from airlines, manufacturers, <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO</a> providers, industry associations, or even from training organisations themselves. There are also many collaborations providing funding to future aviation professionals.</p>
<p>In 2023, for example, Boeing announced $950,000 in <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot</a> training scholarships. Of this amount, $500,000 was granted to 25 scholarships being run by organisations including Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Latino Pilots Association, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies and Women in Aviation International. The remaining $450,000 went to Fly Compton, an organisation working to help minority youth identify career opportunities in the industry.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photo credit Fly Compton)" src="/getasset/e032e2a8-bbd2-4d78-a700-d23ad7785fcc/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Boeing leaders present a cheque to Fly Compton, which will put the funds towards flight training classes offered to underserved students in LA’s Compton community. <br />
(Photo credit: Fly Compton)</p>
<p>These funding initiatives by Boeing are part of a continuing series which has seen the company invest more than $8.5 million to “bring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot </a>training programmes to underrepresented populations in communities across the US”. </p>
<p>Alongside the scholarships sponsored by Boeing, Women In Aviation International (WAI) offers around 100 other funding opportunities, with sponsors including Airbus, Alaska Airlines Group, American Airlines, CAE, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, Pratt & Whitney, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. These sponsorships provide financial support for courses across a range of disciplines including flight control dispatch, maintenance, engineering, manufacturing skills, commercial helicopter rating, and even drone training & photography.</p>
<p>All WAI scholarships are for members only with the association usually opening the applications process in the autumn for awards early in the following year. And while some scholarships specify that US citizenship is a requirement, many reflect the organisation’s global nature and are open to WAI members anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>Still in North America though, the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) offers scholarships to help aspiring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a>, aircraft maintenance technicians and airline managers pursue their careers. These assist in the payment of tuition, flight training, as well as to attain new or additional licences. Candidates need to be thinking about their applications from mid-year onwards as the deadline for these is in October, with selections being made in November.</p>
<p>In Europe, major <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO </a>provider FL Technics has joined forces with Lithuanian university, Vilnius Tech, not just to grant scholarships for top students, but to also offer exclusive opportunities to receive practical experience and mentorship from the <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO’s</a> experts. While the two have collaborated for many years, this latest scholarship programme, according to Vilnius Tech dean, associate professor Dr Linas Juknevicius, brings “deeper integration within the industry and business, providing new opportunities for the top students to start their aviation career”.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="FL technics" src="/getasset/669d506d-8f7e-43a8-8e89-4b507369556a/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">MRO provider FL Technics offers grant scholarships for top students, plus opportunities to receive practical experience and mentorship from the company’s experts.<br />
(Photo credit: FL Technics)</p>
<p>Scholarships from organisations incorporated by Royal Charter are not exactly rife, but The Honourable Company of Air Pilots incorporating Air Navigators (the Company), based in the UK, awards such funding for gliding, PPL (private pilot’s licence) and flying instructor (FI(R)) training. In its information about how much it costs to sponsor a scholarship in each category, the Company quotes £900, £12,000 and £11,000 respectively. It does not specify how much a candidate actually receives.</p>
<p>The Company’s sponsorship programme is another which calls for applications early in the year and the awards carry the stipulation that training must take place at a UK training organisation and courses must be completed by the end of September in the year of award. Notable among the details of these awards is the comment pointing out that taking on such courses “demands a very high level of commitment during the summer months and if offered a scholarship, the Company will expect the recipient to meet this commitment”.</p>
<p>Another UK organisation offering sponsorships is The Air League, which describes itself as the country’s “leading aviation, aerospace, and space charity that changes lives”. Founded in 1909, it has distributed more than £2 million in scholarships and bursaries in just the past 10 years. </p>
<p>The Air League is constantly developing its range of scholarships and bursaries in order to “deliver the maximum impact to our beneficiaries”. As noted from its description, the organisation’s target career pathways go beyond assisting <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and aspiring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=Engineer#browsing">engineers</a>, -but include many other professional aviation disciplines too. A proportion of the 120 scholarships and bursaries offered each year are for courses which offer early-career training. Also, like WAI, drone courses are included.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photo credit The Air League" src="/getasset/d1cbd92d-3b53-4f4f-a8e0-52baf64399a1/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Air League is offering its first Electric Flying Scholarships involving flying the Pipistrel Velis Electro. <br />
(Photo credit: The Air League)</p>
<p>Among newer developments are the Electric Flying Scholarships which include five hours flying on the Pipistrel Velis Electro. This is aimed at those who already hold flying qualifications such as a PPL. These courses, which also include simulator time, ground school training and sustainability-focused discussions are being delivered by Saxon Air. </p>
<p>As mentioned, <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot</a> and maintenance courses are not the only disciplines where an association is prepared to help promote careers through funding initiatives for candidates. The Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) awards $75,000 worth of scholarships annually, with each scholarship recipient receiving between $5,000-$15,000. Recipients can range from students enrolled in air traffic control programmes at FAA-approved or FAA-licensed institutions, to children of ATC specialists (who must be US citizens) enrolled in a programme leading to a bachelor's degree or higher. </p>
<p>These funding opportunities are merely a snapshot of the wide range available. Money is out there to help, so that fewer candidates have their ambitions thwarted by costs. And when forecasts such as Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook 2023-2042 predict a need for 649,000 new <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and 690,000 new maintenance technicians over the next 20 years, every bit of financial help for those who want to dedicate their careers to aviation is vital. </p>
<p>Then comes the big question – “How much?” The answer is often “a considerable amount”. To reach the right-hand seat in a commercial airline, it’s not unusual to find that the training costs run into six figures in US dollars. Sadly, that can sometimes put a halt to a budding career or perhaps introduce a lengthy delay while saving the funds to pay for a course.</p>
<p>It need not always be that way though, with help at hand through sponsorships and bursaries. Some of these funds have been around for many a year, but shortages of <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and maintenance personnel have led to an increased number of programmes to help offset the outlay or even completely cover it.</p>
<p>To obtain a scholarship, candidates have a range of sources from airlines, manufacturers, <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO</a> providers, industry associations, or even from training organisations themselves. There are also many collaborations providing funding to future aviation professionals.</p>
<p>In 2023, for example, Boeing announced $950,000 in <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot</a> training scholarships. Of this amount, $500,000 was granted to 25 scholarships being run by organisations including Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Latino Pilots Association, Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, Sisters of the Skies and Women in Aviation International. The remaining $450,000 went to Fly Compton, an organisation working to help minority youth identify career opportunities in the industry.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photo credit Fly Compton)" src="/getasset/e032e2a8-bbd2-4d78-a700-d23ad7785fcc/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Boeing leaders present a cheque to Fly Compton, which will put the funds towards flight training classes offered to underserved students in LA’s Compton community. <br />
(Photo credit: Fly Compton)</p>
<p>These funding initiatives by Boeing are part of a continuing series which has seen the company invest more than $8.5 million to “bring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot </a>training programmes to underrepresented populations in communities across the US”. </p>
<p>Alongside the scholarships sponsored by Boeing, Women In Aviation International (WAI) offers around 100 other funding opportunities, with sponsors including Airbus, Alaska Airlines Group, American Airlines, CAE, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, Pratt & Whitney, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. These sponsorships provide financial support for courses across a range of disciplines including flight control dispatch, maintenance, engineering, manufacturing skills, commercial helicopter rating, and even drone training & photography.</p>
<p>All WAI scholarships are for members only with the association usually opening the applications process in the autumn for awards early in the following year. And while some scholarships specify that US citizenship is a requirement, many reflect the organisation’s global nature and are open to WAI members anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>Still in North America though, the Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) offers scholarships to help aspiring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a>, aircraft maintenance technicians and airline managers pursue their careers. These assist in the payment of tuition, flight training, as well as to attain new or additional licences. Candidates need to be thinking about their applications from mid-year onwards as the deadline for these is in October, with selections being made in November.</p>
<p>In Europe, major <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO </a>provider FL Technics has joined forces with Lithuanian university, Vilnius Tech, not just to grant scholarships for top students, but to also offer exclusive opportunities to receive practical experience and mentorship from the <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=MRO#browsing">MRO’s</a> experts. While the two have collaborated for many years, this latest scholarship programme, according to Vilnius Tech dean, associate professor Dr Linas Juknevicius, brings “deeper integration within the industry and business, providing new opportunities for the top students to start their aviation career”.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="FL technics" src="/getasset/669d506d-8f7e-43a8-8e89-4b507369556a/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">MRO provider FL Technics offers grant scholarships for top students, plus opportunities to receive practical experience and mentorship from the company’s experts.<br />
(Photo credit: FL Technics)</p>
<p>Scholarships from organisations incorporated by Royal Charter are not exactly rife, but The Honourable Company of Air Pilots incorporating Air Navigators (the Company), based in the UK, awards such funding for gliding, PPL (private pilot’s licence) and flying instructor (FI(R)) training. In its information about how much it costs to sponsor a scholarship in each category, the Company quotes £900, £12,000 and £11,000 respectively. It does not specify how much a candidate actually receives.</p>
<p>The Company’s sponsorship programme is another which calls for applications early in the year and the awards carry the stipulation that training must take place at a UK training organisation and courses must be completed by the end of September in the year of award. Notable among the details of these awards is the comment pointing out that taking on such courses “demands a very high level of commitment during the summer months and if offered a scholarship, the Company will expect the recipient to meet this commitment”.</p>
<p>Another UK organisation offering sponsorships is The Air League, which describes itself as the country’s “leading aviation, aerospace, and space charity that changes lives”. Founded in 1909, it has distributed more than £2 million in scholarships and bursaries in just the past 10 years. </p>
<p>The Air League is constantly developing its range of scholarships and bursaries in order to “deliver the maximum impact to our beneficiaries”. As noted from its description, the organisation’s target career pathways go beyond assisting <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and aspiring <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=Engineer#browsing">engineers</a>, -but include many other professional aviation disciplines too. A proportion of the 120 scholarships and bursaries offered each year are for courses which offer early-career training. Also, like WAI, drone courses are included.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img alt="Photo credit The Air League" src="/getasset/d1cbd92d-3b53-4f4f-a8e0-52baf64399a1/" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">The Air League is offering its first Electric Flying Scholarships involving flying the Pipistrel Velis Electro. <br />
(Photo credit: The Air League)</p>
<p>Among newer developments are the Electric Flying Scholarships which include five hours flying on the Pipistrel Velis Electro. This is aimed at those who already hold flying qualifications such as a PPL. These courses, which also include simulator time, ground school training and sustainability-focused discussions are being delivered by Saxon Air. </p>
<p>As mentioned, <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilot</a> and maintenance courses are not the only disciplines where an association is prepared to help promote careers through funding initiatives for candidates. The Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) awards $75,000 worth of scholarships annually, with each scholarship recipient receiving between $5,000-$15,000. Recipients can range from students enrolled in air traffic control programmes at FAA-approved or FAA-licensed institutions, to children of ATC specialists (who must be US citizens) enrolled in a programme leading to a bachelor's degree or higher. </p>
<p>These funding opportunities are merely a snapshot of the wide range available. Money is out there to help, so that fewer candidates have their ambitions thwarted by costs. And when forecasts such as Boeing’s Pilot and Technician Outlook 2023-2042 predict a need for 649,000 new <a href="https://jobs.flightglobal.com/jobs/?Keywords=pilot#browsing">pilots</a> and 690,000 new maintenance technicians over the next 20 years, every bit of financial help for those who want to dedicate their careers to aviation is vital. </p>