One of the fastest-growing job markets, both locally and around the world, is aviation. After taking a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel has rebounded to 2019 levels and is continuing to increase rapidly, says Maxine Lubner, Ph.D., professor and chair in the management department at Vaughn College.
Vaughn, based in Queens near LaGuardia Airport, has been educating and training workers in this field for decades, and the college is so confident its graduates can get jobs, it offers a “Vaughn Guarantee.”
“If an eligible student follows all the requirements and is not placed in a job or continuing their education within one year, Vaughn will reimburse a year’s worth of federal direct undergraduate student loan payments,” Lubner says. In fact, 97% of Vaughn graduates are employed or continuing their education, she adds, with 77% in their field of study and the rest in another area of aviation, according to surveys of the graduates.
That guarantee is a good bet, because the field is expected to explode in the coming years. “By 2050, it will increase by 2.5 to three times the levels of 2019, in all regions of the world, including North America,” according to recent reports by industry organizations, Lubner says. “We expect job demand will continue very strongly in all sectors of aviation.”
Vaughn offers more than 30 different bachelor’s and master’s degrees, certificates, and programs in engineering, engineering technology, aviation, and management. Jobs include airport management, air traffic control, aircraft maintenance — even being a pilot.
The college is proud of its focus on minority and less-advantaged students. It is ranked number one in moving students from the bottom 40% to the top 40% in income nationally and from the bottom 20% to the top 1% in New York City. It is in the top 4% of colleges with highest return on investment for students from under-resourced communities, according to a Georgetown University study.
Vaughn Graduates Succeed in Aviation Roles
Michael Zaruma Cueva, an airport operations supervisor at Westchester County Airport, is a Vaughn graduate. “My primary responsibility is conducting thorough runway and lighting inspections to ensure that all lighting systems, navigational aids, and signage are fully operational and free of discrepancies,” he says.
He also helps ensure the safe, secure, and efficient daily operation of the airfield, terminal, and other functions, including monitoring compliance with FAA and TSA regulations, coordinating emergency responses, overseeing wildlife management, and supervising personnel to maintain operational continuity, particularly during weather-related events.
As a child, he wanted to become a pilot but couldn’t pursue that dream “due to the financial burden it would have placed on my parents,” he shares. A field trip to the airport during high school “shifted my perspective and helped me realize that there are many other meaningful career paths within the aviation industry. After researching my options, I discovered airport management. I recognized that it would allow me to work closely with aircraft while gaining a deeper understanding of airport operations.”
Vaughn College was “instrumental in preparing me for my role,” he explains. One resource was particularly helpful: the college’s student chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives. “Through this organization, I was able to connect with industry professionals, participate in airport tours, learn more about airside operations, apply for scholarships, and attend annual conferences,” he says.
Andre Bowser, another Vaughn graduate, is also an operations supervisor at the airport. “I ensure full compliance with all of the airport’s federal regulations,” he notes. That includes daily inspection of the airfield’s conditions to maintain a “safe, secure, and environmentally compliant airfield at all times. At the end of the day, my main goal is to keep a well-driven operation on a day-to-day basis.”
As a child, Bowser loved watching airplanes take off. “Thanks to Vaughn College, I was fortunate to intern with Avports at Republic Airport, where I was introduced to airport operations. Instantly, I fell in love with it because it allowed me to interact with aircraft on a day-to-day basis and fulfill the passion I had as a child.”
Lubner says she likes to tell students that “you can be anything you want to be in this exciting field. Aviation is an international transportation system that is technologically sophisticated and rapidly growing.”