Students and faculty are invited to the 2024 Collegiate Connect, NBAA’s premier event focused on workforce development and community engagement. This year’s career day will be held on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Las Vegas, NV during the third day of the 2024 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world’s largest and most important business aviation event of the year.

NBAA recognizes the value in introducing students to the global business aviation industry and inspiring young people to explore the diversity of aviation careers. College students, as well as their school’s faculty and chaperones, are invited to attend for student-focused programming and opportunities, including access to hundreds of exhibitors and a wide variety of business aircraft on display.

Admission to the one-day Collegiate Connect on Oct. 24 is free for all registered students, faculty and chaperones. You must present your school/university ID at a registration counter to obtain your student badge for NBAA-BACE.

All Collegiate Connect events will take place in the Flight Deck at Booth 100 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Hall.

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Collegiate Connect: Welcome From NBAA

Don’t miss this welcome from NBAA President & CEO Ed Bolen, U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-01) and other NBAA leaders.This introduction to Collegiate Connect will review the program and present Young Professionals in Business Aviation (YoPros) starting new career roles in 2024. All YoPros who started a new job in 2024 should attend for a “Class of 2024 New Hire” group photo.

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Prepare for the Future: Attracting and Retaining the Next Generation of Professionals in Business Aviation

Join us for an engaging and dynamic session where young professionals and seasoned management-level speakers unite to share their cutting-edge strategies for attracting and retaining top talent in business aviation. Learn about supportive and vibrant workplace cultures that resonate with passionate young professionals. Engage with them on your ideas to revolutionize their approach to securing the future of their workforce in the business aviation industry.

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Student/YoPro Networking

Students are encouraged to self-select from among nine career categories that will bring them together with other like-minded students and YoPros currently working in those fields. There will be an opportunity to network, participate in Q&A, and take a walking tour of the exhibit floor to engage with an exhibitor directly connected to that career field. The categories are the following: airport business; business management; broker/sales; cabin attendant; innovation and technology; maintenance; marketing; pilot; and scheduler/dispatcher. The tour will conclude at the NBAA Career Fair where students can connect with NBAA, speak with recruiters, get their headshot taken, and enter a giveaway for a $200 Amazon gift card.

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Collegiate Connect Career Fair

Students are encouraged to attend the NBAA Career Fair at the conclusion of Collegiate Connect to connect with NBAA, speak with recruiters, get their headshot taken, and enter a giveaway for a $200 Amazon gift card.

Any person who attends an NBAA convention, conference, seminar or other program grants permission to NBAA, its employees and agents (collectively "NBAA") to record his or her visual/audio images, including, but not limited to, photographs, digital images, voices, sound or video recordings, audio clips, or accompanying written descriptions, and, without notifying such person, to use his or her name and such images for any purpose of NBAA, including advertisements for NBAA and its programs.