SAN FRANCISCO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Top U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing Company announced plans on Thursday to donate 3 million U.S. dollars to a leading U.S. aviation university to help train young pilots and aviation maintenance technicians.
Boeing said the donation to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will create a permanent endowment to fund annual scholarships for students interested in pursuing a pilot's license and certificates in aviation maintenance.
The Boeing scholarships will seek to increase the number of underrepresented populations in the pilot workforce, such as women, military veterans and minority students enrolled in both programs, Boeing said.
Boeing President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who was addressing the 18th Annual Aviation Summit Thursday in Washington, DC, called for increased collaboration within the global aerospace industry to address the growing demand for commercial pilots and technicians.
"It's essential that industry and higher education work together to increase the pipeline of aerospace talent. Our partnership with Embry-Riddle demonstrates Boeing's commitment to the continued growth and diversification of the global aerospace industry," he said.
He noted that the Boeing grant will help more students with diversified backgrounds to "learn with greater efficiency and perform more effectively once on the job."
A 2018 Boeing outlook estimated that the industry will need 790,000 new civil aviation pilots and 754,000 new maintenance technicians across the globe over the next two decades.
