Jazz Aviation is helping two Okanagan students reach new heights

Canadian airline Jazz Aviation LP (Jazz) is giving two Okanagan College students the opportunity to jump start their careers as commercial pilots.

Each year two students in the College’s Commercial Aviation program are recognized by Jazz for their educational achievements, professionalism and safety. Each student is awarded with a $3,000 scholarship and enrolment into the Jazz Aviation Pathways Program (Jazz APP). This program guarantees the students an interview with the company after graduation.

“Being part of Jazz APP is something I’ve been working toward since I started this program,” says Paawan Miglani, OC commercial aviation student. “I’m graduating soon and knowing I have an interview with such a renowned airline is huge. Also, the scholarship money is a big help because it’s going straight into my training with simulator sessions, flights and ground school.”

Miglani was presented with the Safety, Professionalism and Diversity award. His classmate, Aimee Wintle, received the Safety and Professionalism award. Both students excelled on their Transport Canada written exams as well as industry flight tests. Miglani and Wintle both have exceptionally high grade point averages.

“It was a huge honour to win this award, it makes me feel like all of my hard work has paid off,” says Wintle. “The scholarship portion helps pay for tuition costs and whether I’m successful or not, the interview is one of the biggest benefits of this award.”

For the past decade Jazz has been in collaboration with accredited collages across the nation.

“Jazz is committed to creating a strong future for the pilot profession in Canada and we’re proud to support the education of top aviation students like Aimee and Paawan,” said Peter Batten, Senior Chief Pilot, Line Operations for Jazz.

Okanagan College is one of the first aviation schools in Western Canada to team up with the Jazz APP. The aviation program first launched at the College in 2016 and since than many graduating students have gone on to accept positions at Jazz.

Chris McCann won the Jazz APP scholarship last year and upon graduation he successfully interviewed with the airline.

McCann is currently residing in Toronto while attending a two-week training program. Once completed he will be sent to another city to conclude an additional six weeks of training before being assigned to a home base.