Long Beach Airport (LGB) has launched a flight externship program for 13 students to learn about potential aviation careers at various job sites around LGB. The externship program is the end product of a process of bringing potential employers together with students. The 13 students who will take part had competed with over 60 fellow Long Beach United School District applicants for the externship opportunity.
What is an externship?
While the term ‘internship’ is a fairly familiar one, the idea of an ‘externship’ is less common. Jobseeker website Indeed.com defines an externship as follows:
“Externships offer a short but concentrated program that allows individuals to experience various aspects of their prospective business or industry. When students get to sit in on a job for a couple of days or a week, they get a reasonable idea of what the job entails and can decide if it’s something they want to pursue.”
This is versus internships which are short-term employment opportunities to provide entry-level, hands-on experience.
As such, the Long Beach community offered 13 students from Cabrillo and Jordan high schools the chance to learn about a variety of aviation careers at Long Beach Airport, through a 40-hour, 5-day externship. From fixed base operations with SoCal Jet Services, to aircraft maintenance, to air traffic control, the externship allowed the students to experience many potential careers in aviation.
At the end of the program, the 13 students were rewarded with $500 and a free exploration flight with the Experimental Aviation Association Young Eagles program. In a statement, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson praised the “remarkable opportunities for our future leaders” created by the program.
Michelle Thomassian, Administrator, Business Engagements and Strategic Partnerships for the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), offered additional support for the educational value of Long Beach Airport’s new program.
“Long Beach Airport has created a unique, hands-on, paid summer externship program that provides LBUSD students the opportunity to explore an array of careers in aviation. We are beyond grateful to the Airport for taking such a collaborative and student-centered approach to workforce development. The LBUSD business partner community is instrumental in empowering and preparing our brilliant students to get their dreams off the ground.”
Additionally, the externship is part of ongoing efforts to meet goals in Long Beach’s Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative to create more inclusion and employment opportunities for all residents.
Thanking the partners
Below is a list of all partners in Long Beach Airport’s externship:
- Aeroplex Group Partners
- Atlantic Aviation
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FlightSafety International
- SoCal Jet Services
- Southwest Airlines
- Swinerton Builders
- Transportation Security Administration
Photo: Long Beach Airport
Long Beach Airport Director Cynthia Guidry offered words of thanks in the June 26 statement;
“This program will lead to bright opportunities and rewarding careers for these students, and we thank our partners for their participation and engagement in helping us inspire tomorrow’s aviation professionals.”
Do you know of another airport with an externship program? Do you think your airport should have an externship program? Please share in the comments.