Dive Brief:
- The GE Aerospace Foundation, an independent organization funded by Ohio-based GE Aerospace, is launching a $30 million skills training program. The goal is to increase the number of highly skilled manufacturing workers by 10,000 beginning next year.
- The foundation will allocate funds over the course of five years for local programs to purchase equipment, hire faculty and staff, expand curricula and fund scholarships to lower financial barriers for students.
- The foundation will also donate $2.5 million this year to boost existing workforce training programs. For example, $250,000 will go to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College to fund two additional instructors and expand the Aviation Maintenance Technician program capacity to 350 students, up from 185.
Dive Insight:
The GE Aerospace Foundation’s program comes at a time when the aerospace industry is struggling to recruit engineering and manufacturing talent.
A study published this summer by the Aerospace Industry Association and McKinsey & Co. revealed 56% of companies face challenges in hiring skilled manufacturing talent. The hiring issues are anticipated to continue over the next eight years, with trade occupations such as electricians, welders and brazers expected to see growth in employment. Plus, an estimated 210,000 assemblers and fabricators could leave the industry or retire each year through 2033.
Last year, GE Aerospace polled manufacturing workers to about whether they had the skills and knowledge needed to perform their jobs well. Nearly 80% were very confident they had the skills to do their manufacturing job well, but they also cited communication, critical thinking, problem solving and safety procedures as the most needed skills.
“Inventing the future of flight requires workers with the cutting-edge skills ready to bring our visions to life,” said GE Aerospace CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. in a statement.
The foundation’s latest $30 million program builds on its previous efforts related to upskilling and training. This February, the foundation donated $1 million to the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program in Massachusetts, expanding the program through 2027. Last year, it donated $1 million to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati to launch the Future of Manufacturing Fund.
This year, the foundation also plans to donate $250,000 to Tarrant County Community College in Fort Worth, Texas, to fund scholarships, technology and training tools for students pursuing aviation maintenance and mechanics skills.
GE Aerospace itself also doles out donations, with planned funds going to Vaughn College in Queens, New York, and the University of the District of Columbia.
GE Aerospace has a vested interest in training the U.S. manufacturing workforce, as the company plans to spend $1 billion on its domestic manufacturing and supply chain and hire 5,000 workers to support the investments. That’s on top of the more than 900 engineers and 1,000 manufacturing workers that GE Aerospace hired last year.
The manufacturer has at times faced labor disruptions at its plants, including a three-week strike among union-represented workers at its Cincinnati-area facility. Last month, the workers voted to approve a five-year contract.
Beyond the aerospace industry, the manufacturing sector at large had 413,000 open jobs in August, based on preliminary Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The numbers, however, are down from peak job openings in 2021 and 2022.
The U.S. manufacturing industry lost 78,000 jobs over the past year, with everything from AI and automation to immigration policies contributing to the decline.
