RECARO AIRCRAFT SEATING AMERICAS PARTNERS WITH UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON ON EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING INITIATIVE

The NSF ExLENT project is designed as a long-term initiative, creating a structured link between academia and industry. RECARO Aircraft Seating Americas has committed to supporting the program throughout the full three-year period by contributing industry expertise to curriculum development, helping ensure alignment with current engineering challenges and industry requirements, while also supporting ongoing program evaluation and continuous improvement efforts.

A key component of the collaboration is direct engagement with students. Each semester, participating student groups will visit the RECARO Fort Worth site to gain insight into aviation engineering and manufacturing processes. In addition, RECARO will host two interns per year as part of its summer internship program over the three-year project period.

In March of this year, the first group of 19 students, accompanied by faculty members, visited the RECARO Aircraft Seating Americas site. The visit included a tour of the production environment and a Q&A session with RECARO experts, providing participants with first-hand industry experience.

The program provides hands-on experience, supports the development of skills relevant to the aviation sector, and offers direct exposure to industry environments. All training, scholarship, and internships are funded by the National Science Foundation.

This initiative strengthens engagement with future engineering talent and increases the RECARO visibility within the academic and aviation communities. By introducing students to real-world engineering environments early in their academic journey, the collaboration raises awareness of career opportunities in the aviation industry and helps build a future-ready workforce with practical industry experience.

“The NSF ExLENT program provides a valuable platform to engage with future engineering talent and support their development through practical experience. By collaborating closely with students, we contribute to strengthening the connection between university learning and industry expectations. Initiatives such as this play an important role in developing a skilled and sustainable workforce for the aerospace industry,” said Sunitha Vegerla, General Manager of RECARO Aircraft Seating Americas.