Bill Shields started 3S in his basement when he got approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to be a designated Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) back in 2010. Shields formed relationships with different people through his many years in the aviation industry who were able to help him grow the business. As of 2013, 3S became a subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada Corporation. However, relationships are still at the core of their business.

3S is an employer partner with Wichita State’s Shocker Career Accelerator. When 3S has open positions, the Shocker Career Accelerator looks to fill them with students interested in internships. This saves 3S time and resources, and the Shocker Career Accelerator can get WSU students working.

3S’s company culture can be described as a big family. They build shelves together, clean messes up together and all go out to eat on Fridays. The interns are a part of it all too.

“One thing we’re very upfront about with them is this isn't a summer intern program where you're going to get a project that may or may not have value-added to the company in the future,” Josh Ebenkamp, Senior Project Engineering Manager, says. “They’re doing work that affects our bottom line.”

Additionally, 3S only has around 15 regular in-office employees, and the rest of its team is made up of contractors who may or may not come into the office. It’s a small group that can take the time to get to know their interns from day one. They also say their size makes it easier to expose their interns to everything within the company.

“Being a small company, we encounter many different engineering aspects on aircraft certification,” Luis Iglesias, Aerospace Engineer III, says. “From the very get-go, we teach our interns the basics of aircraft certification and the associated documentation needed for certification of systems or components on aircraft. From there, we provide them with more complex tasks and new responsibilities to help them expand their roles and learn new aspects as engineers within our organization.”

At 3S, they give their interns all the credit for their contributions. Interns hit the send button on company-wide reports, sign engineering documents and report their progress in weekly staff meetings. One of their former interns turned full-time employee, Andrea Navarro, even got to fly in an aircraft she helped certify because they needed her to monitor data onboard. She wasn’t just along for the ride, but she contributed to the critical tests necessary for system approval.

“As a consulting ODA, our work has ebbs and flows. We don’t often grow our family, but it’s very surgical when we do. Interns have made this predicament very easy and cost-effective,” Ebenkamp says.

If they can’t bring interns on full-time, they use their connections to help them secure a job at another company. They can also help interns with different career ambitions in the aviation industry find positions through their network connections. They support their intern’s career goals and even their education goals if they go back to school.

“We have a parent company that has a lot of openings that they can have opportunities for. We have other connections in the industry that even if they don’t want to be here, we can help them elsewhere,” Steve Roach, Director of Engineering, says. “Whether they stay here after graduation or not, they helped us be successful, right? So why wouldn't we help them be successful in their careers as well?”

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Wichita State's applied learning program gives students hands-on, paid experience with industry partners, helping them build careers before graduation.

For more information, contact the Shocker Career Accelerator at (316) 978-3688, SCA@wichita.edu, or visit wichita.edu/Career. You can also stop by in person at the Marcus Welcome Center, Suite 139, on the Wichita State campus.