Miami – April 1, 2017

A new collaboration between the Cuban-American National Council (CNC) and Pan Am International Flight Academy in Miami is exposing at-risk youth to a unique opportunity to learn about airline training and the aviation industry.

Students enrolled in the CNC Youth Program are now getting the opportunity through job shadowing and mentoring with designated staff at a premier aviation training academy to learn all about careers in aviation.

The students will be participating in a wide range of activities over individual assignments of 120 hours at a time, where they will get to interact with flight instructors, current aviation students, and get a firsthand look at flight training, including working around advanced flight simulators, classroom training, and Air Traffic Control Simulation and Training among other career pathways within the aviation industry.

“Our objective is to provide the young people we service with experiences and encouragement that will allow them to successfully transition to the workforce, obtain their high school diploma or GED and continue their education and training,” said Sonia Lopez, President and CEO of CNC. “Our partnership with Pan Am is exposing our youth to a promising career in aviation and we hope that it will inspire them to pursue their wings.”

“At Pan Am we are dedicated to the development of the youth in our community” said Mark Johnson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Pan AM International Flight Academy “By providing students with these opportunities we are exposing them to a promising career that is experiencing tremendous growth and offer a wide range of opportunities. We have high hopes for our students and will continue to work alongside community partners like CNC for the betterment of our community at all of our company locations.”