A path with purpose

The professional pilot shortage is big news south of the border. JetBlue recently made headlines by announcing it was launching its own pilot training program, while Republic Airways cited a difficulty in finding qualified pilots as the main factor contributing to its bankruptcy filing on Feb. 25, 2016.

In Canada, however, airlines aren’t feeling the same hiring pinch.

“We’ve had no issues recruiting pilots,” confirmed Steven Linthwaite, vice-president of flight operations at Jazz Aviation, which employs 1,200 pilots. “There’s no shortage here.”

But Linthwaite said the hiring market is subtly tighter than in the past. “Six years ago, we could interview pilots and they could sit in our hiring pool for a year and still be available in some cases,” he noted. Now, pilots in the pool are generally offered a position within a few months.

Proactive recruiting

With 116 aircraft flying about 681 flights per day to 71 destinations, Jazz is proactive about keeping its pipeline of qualified pilots flowing.

In 2007, the airline instituted its Jazz Award program to diversify its source of new-hire pilots. The program, which ran in collaboration with aviation colleges and universities, included candidate interviews and simulator evaluations for top-ranking students.

“The students who were successful came online, went through our training program, and, quite frankly, they excelled,” said Linthwaite.

In 2012, the airline expanded its relationship with Seneca College by launching the Jazz Cadet program. Third-year students in Seneca’s Bachelor of Aviation Technology program can apply to be a Cadet. After passing a college selection process, the students are interviewed for a pilot position with Jazz. If they pass, they become full-fledged Jazz Cadets.

“We give them wings, a hat and some uniform pieces,” said Linthwaite. “For the last year of their program they are a Jazz Cadet and must maintain their academic performance, flying performance and attendance. At the end of the fourth year, we give them a simulator evaluation. If that is successful, they go into our pilot hiring pool.”

The program motivates Seneca’s aviation students to excel, while allowing Jazz to groom the best and brightest from the renowned aviation program.

Successful candidates

Jazz began collecting quality assurance data on all its new-hire pilots in 2007. By the time 2015 rolled around, the airline had solid evidence that candidates hired directly from aviation schools were doing as well in training–if not better–than pilots who had been hired “off the street.”

Last year, the airline hired 165 pilots–of those, approximately 15 per cent were recruited directly from post-secondary programs.

“There were some naysayers out there, but the data showed these candidates had greater success than those off the street with more hours,” said Linthwaite. “Remember, we’re talking about the top candidates from these colleges, who are coming from a training environment where they are taught the importance of following standard operating procedures. So, when they get into a highly structured environment like Jazz, they do very well. Given the data, there is no increased risk from hiring this type of candidate.”

This realization prompted Jazz to restructure its existing Jazz Award program in 2015.

Now called the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program (Jazz APP), it involves more formal agreements between the airline and seven Canadian aviation colleges and universities: Algonquin College, Cégep de Chicoutimi, Confederation College, Mount Royal University, Sault College, Seneca College, and the University of Western Ontario.

There is collaboration on training curriculums and industry best practices, and Jazz also provides scholarship opportunities to students.

Of course, the biggest carrot is that top-performing grads will have the opportunity to transition to a first officer position at Jazz. With anywhere from 200 to 250 total hours in their logbooks, it’s an attractive career path for new graduates.

“It’s really important for the young generation to see that pathway,” commented Linthwaite. “Young people need to see in high school that there is an opportunity to have a successful career as a pilot.”

Real world training

Linthwaite said one of the most important components of the Jazz APP is maintaining the feedback loop between industry and educational institutions.

“It’s critical to keep them in touch with the latest industry trends,” he said. “We take great pride in being a leader in safety management systems and professionalism. We wanted to encourage that at a college and university level.”

Meanwhile, said Linthwaite, the Jazz Cadet program continues with Seneca College. A new addition finalized in April 2016 is an instructor pathway program, which will give past Seneca grads–who subsequently instructed with the college–the chance to land a pilot position with the airline.

In addition, Jazz pilots may be eligible for a leave of absence so they can instruct at Seneca College, allowing them to pass on their real world knowledge while also building pilot-in-command time.

Finally, Linthwaite pointed out that senior Jazz pilots could benefit from a new pilot mobility agreement with Air Canada. Ratified in January 2015, the agreement gives Jazz pilots the chance to move on to Air Canada–thereby offering them career advancement while helping Jazz to cut its operating costs.

“We had a lot of senior pilots here, and it [the pilot mobility agreement] was an innovative way to move them along to Air Canada and then bring in others,” said Linthwaite. “For its part, Air Canada is getting very experienced pilots in their hiring pool.”

Jazz is taking a proactive approach to ensure its continued access to qualified pilots, but it’s also facing a vastly different regulatory landscape than other regional airlines south of the border.

New regulations introduced by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in 2013 require first officers working for domestic passenger and cargo airlines to hold an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate with a current type rating for the aircraft flown. Previously, only a commercial pilot licence with an instrument rating was required.