United Airlines announced Tuesday it is accepting applications as it plans to train 5,000 pilots by 2030, “at least half of them women and people of color.”
“Backed by scholarship commitments from United Airlines and JPMorgan Chase, United Aviate Academy will create opportunities for thousands of students, including women and people of color to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot, one of the most lucrative careers in the industry,” the company’s press release read.
The airline’s flight deck “should reflect the diverse group of people on board our planes every day,” United said in a tweet along with a video advertising the academy:
United said it will fund $1.2 million in scholarships, and its credit card partner, JPMorgan Chase, committed the same amount to those accepted into the program.
“We are proud to partner with United to support the Aviate Academy’s mission to enable thousands to pursue their dream as a commercial airline pilot,” Ed Olebe, president of Chase Co-Brand Cards, stated.
“Investing in this program directly aligns with our efforts to advance racial equity by expanding career development opportunities and making tangible progress in a field where women and people of color are underrepresented,” Olebe continued.
Meanwhile, United was among 200 corporations that issued a joint statement opposing election integrity legislation similar to Georgia’s recent voter ID law, even though many of them require people to show identification before using their services, Breitbart News reported Monday.
“The signed letter includes PayPal, Major League Baseball (MLB), United Airlines, Microsoft, Uber, and Cisco, who called on ‘elected leaders in every state capitol and in Congress to work across the aisle and ensure that every eligible American has the freedom to easily cast their ballot and participate fully in our democracy,'” the article read.
United addressed the issue in a tweet on Monday:
“We believe that leaders in both parties should work to protect the rights of eligible voters by making it easier and more convenient for them to cast a ballot and have it counted,” the airline concluded.