Canadian North partners with Calgary university to offer jobs to aviation graduates

Canadian North and Mount Royal University are teaming up to provide conditional job offers to all students accepted into the university's aviation program — as long as they graduate. 

Canadian North CEO Michael Rodyniuk made the announcement on Thursday in Calgary.

"When you are accepted into the Mount Royal program, you will get a conditional letter of employment for Canadian North," he said.. "You have to finish. You have to pass. Then you are going to be welcomed on board to Canadian North."

The partnership comes in the midst of a nationwide pilot shortage. Rodyniuk said that the COVID-19 pandemic led to an exodus of pilots from the industry, and the physical distancing restrictions led to drop in graduating pilots.

Pre-COVID, he said that roughly 1,500 new pilots were licensed annually, which has since dropped to only around 100 new pilots a year — not nearly enough to meet growing demand.

"You've got a void, a bunch of pilots exited. We didn't get enough training done [during COVID], so we don't have that backfill and we have new regulations that say you've got to have 30 per cent more pilots," Rodyniuk said.

Add to this the unique challenges of flying in the North — short runways, tight landings, and typical compasses don't work the same north of 60 — and there's a need for skilled northern pilots. 

In the program, students will receive mentorship and training with Canadian North, and the airline will be helping in curriculum development so that graduates from Mount Royal have the skills required to be "Arctic aviators." 

Financial assistance will also be available to students entering the program.

The goal is to not only fill the empty seats in the cockpit, but to provide empowering education and employment opportunities for Inuit students, so that they can have a career and make a difference in their own communities. 

"The ability to work in your home community, once [the graduates] return, is unheard of," said Jason Kilabuk, director of Inuit employment and talent strategies at Canadian North.