IAWA Scholarship

July 13, 2020

MOUNT ROYAL, NJ – July 13, 2020 –The International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA), a global association committed to connecting, inspiring and leading women in the aviation industry, will be able to offer a scholarship to a female student seeking a career in the aviation and/or aerospace industry this fall. The scholarship has been provided by the  École Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC) a public establishment under the supervision of the French Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition.  ENAC applied to be considered as a provider of a scholarship through the IAWA Scholarship Program. IAWA’s scholarships directly support the professional development of women who intend to follow a career in aviation and aerospace.

IAWA is thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to an ENAC student seeking a career in the industry our Association represents, said Bobbi Wells, President of IAWA. While women have made great strides in our field, gender balance issues are still very present. Since our establishment, IAWA has been at the forefront of conversations on inclusion and gender equality in aviation and aerospace and continues with its goal of creating, maintaining and pushing for a comprehensive industry with equal opportunities globally. This scholarship allows for a young woman to begin her journey in what will hopefully be a lifelong career.

The school has just celebrated its 70th anniversary and has been committed to the implementation of Sustainable Development at both the educational level and societal levels with ways of developing diversity. A Gender Equality charter was signed in 2013 with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and a first action plan was established in 2014. The school noted that while women have been able to access the various courses over the past 50 years, they make up only a fraction of certain fields in the industry with females representing 10% among pilots, 20% among engineers and 35% in the air navigation, aerial controllers or technicians.

Both IAWA and ENAC saw a mutual interest with both having the overarching goal of educating and empowering women within the industry, regardless of their tenure, so they can grow and obtain leadership opportunities that they may not even know exist.

Examples of IAWA’s continuous contributions to inclusivity in aviation:

• Through scholarship, mentoring and internships, IAWA actively seeks to increase the numbers and visibility of women in the industry.
• To-date, IAWA has awarded 64 scholarships, totaling nearly $300,000.
• In 2019 alone, IAWA awarded 12 scholarships.
• Through conferences, forums and connects, IAWA promotes and strengthens the community of women in leadership positions.

Since 2004, the IAWA Scholarship Committee has worked with designated universities across the globe to identify candidates with a good grade point average, financial need and a passion for a career in the field of aviation. The selected universities have included Cranfield University, Bedford, United Kingdom; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona and Flordia, USA; Southern Methodist University, Florida, USA; Dedman School of Law, Texas, USA; McGill University Graduate School of Air and Space Law, Montreal, Canada; Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, New York, USA; Swinburne University, Australia; TU Delft, Netherlands; and the joint scholarship with ALTA for the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP), Panamá. ENAC will now be added to this list.

Scholarship recipients are provided with the opportunity to attend all IAWA events and are offered free registration at the IAWA Annual Conference for three years following the year the scholarship is awarded. In addition, the Association’s volunteers commit hundreds of hours a year collectively through its mentoring program that allows young women to work with existing women leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry.

For more information about the Scholarship Program, the Association, studies and other NextGen opportunities, visit IAWA.org.

About ENAC
ENAC is internationally recognized as a leading aeronautics and aviation university in Europe, providing a broad range of training, studies and research activities. The institution provides a comprehensive range of 28 higher education programs ranging from Bachelor to Master of Science, Aviation Advanced Master, Master of Business and Administration as well as Ph.D. s in the domains of aeronautics and aviation. For more information about ENAC or to apply to one of its programs, visit www.enac.fr/en.

IAWA is a non-profit association providing a worldwide network dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the aviation and aerospace industries at all levels across the globe. IAWA sponsors informative meetings, hosts receptions and connects, publishes newsletters, and keeps its members updated on the latest industry developments.