Training and Workforce
Hera Initiative Seeks To Move the Needle in Bizav Careers
The Hera initiative raises the question of whether business aviation might ease its personnel shortage by improving career circumstances.
Jessica Webster in front of business jet
Jessica Webster, a corporate pilot and mother of two children, founded non-profit Hera Aviation Group to help companies and individuals manage modern workplace issues such as retention and family dynamics that discourage individuals from participating in aviation careers. (Photo: Hera Aviation Group)

Hera Aviation Group, a non-profit organization created to help companies and individuals manage modern workplace issues such as retention and family dynamics that keep women (and men) from participating in aviation careers, has launched the Hera Initiative to help companies deal with these issues. Hera was founded by corporate pilot Jessica Webster, a mother of two children who has faced her own challenges with workplace discrimination against caregivers.

The initiative is focused on four key elements: education outreach, mentoring, internships and other ways to welcome new entrants, and ongoing career coaching and development. The spur for creating the initiative is that Hera found that even with enlightened and welcoming companies and hiring programs, a significant number of female professional pilots were giving up on their careers after going through all the steps to gain certification and become employable.