Program aims to train 10K workers by 2030, helping close the manufacturing skills gap

CINCINNATI, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the GE Aerospace Foundation announced the first five communities selected as part of its new, $30 million workforce training program, Lifting Futures: Auburn, Alabama; the Cincinnati-Dayton region in Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Wrocław, Poland.

Lifting Futures is the GE Aerospace Foundation's flagship workforce skills program, first announced by GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp last fall. It is focused on meeting the growing need for advanced manufacturing, providing 10,000 workers with skills to help support growing demand across the aerospace and manufacturing industries by 2030.

"With Lifting Futures, the GE Aerospace Foundation is taking the next step to ensure a strong future for the aerospace industry and for the thousands of workers we need to meet growing demand," said Christian Meisner, Chief Human Resources Officer at GE Aerospace. "Through our new flagship workforce program, we aim to work with local partners to increase manufacturing career opportunities and create long-term impact in communities poised to help build the future of flight."

The Lifting Futures program looks to fill the skilled manufacturing talent gap by increasing access to community-based programs for advanced skills training and certification. Investments will emphasize the following areas of focus through community-specific grants:

• Efforts to reduce barriers to entry for training institutions and programs.
• Capacity expansion initiatives, including additional classrooms and equipment, that enable training programs to enroll more students.
• Activities to increase the resources and services students need to increase graduation and job placement rates from training programs.

The five communities selected for the initial round of Lifting Futures grants have strong labor demand, a pipeline of potential new workers, and capable partner training institutions.

Communities receiving a minimum of $1 million to help close the manufacturing skills gap include:

• Auburn, Alabama: A hub for multi-sector industrial component manufacturing, Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO), and defense. Programming will complement GE Aerospace's existing support for Calhoun Community College in Huntsville, which helps prepare Process Technology Program students for monitoring, operating, and maintaining equipment.
• Dallas, Texas: An aerospace hub where the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts some of the strongest demand for advanced manufacturing labor. The program will join an existing network of training opportunities in Dallas, complementing programs like the GE Aerospace Foundation-supported Aviation Maintenance Technician program at Tarrant County College.
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A well-established pipeline of training for workers in the MRO field with motivated, forward-looking institutions. Lifting Futures will connect into a robust talent pipeline supported by existing initiatives, including GE Aerospace-supported worker training at UniKL.

Communities receiving a minimum of $500,000 to help close the manufacturing skills gap include:

• Cincinnati-Dayton, Ohio: Features a strong aerospace ecosystem with record capacity expansion in recent years. The program will operate alongside current efforts in the region, such as the GE Aerospace Foundation-supported program at Cincinnati State, and its partnership with the United Way of Greater Cincinnati for the Future of Manufacturing Fund, which are already helping to increase workforce development enrollment, completion, and job obtainment.
• Wrocław, Poland: A hub for advanced manufacturers with an established vocational pipeline in the region along with several aerospace and component manufacturers anchored in the region.

Lifting Futures programs will strengthen the existing ecosystems of local workforce training. The GE Aerospace Foundation will work with local partners throughout the spring and summer to develop action plans specific to their location's workforce needs that will inform local investments. As the funds are invested, the Foundation will evaluate opportunities to see these grow over the course of the program. Additional details about the community-specific programs will be released in the fall following this structured community planning process.

GE Aerospace has a long history of building a skilled workforce – both internally and through community-based programming. Since becoming a standalone company in 2024, GE Aerospace has supported over 20 workforce programs that have upskilled nearly 10,000 individuals. Current and future employees are trained through apprenticeships and other programs such as the Lafayette, Indiana FAA powerplant apprenticeship, the Rutland, Vermont machinists toolmaker apprenticeship, and the West Jefferson, North Carolina advanced machining program.

Learn more about the GE Aerospace Foundation's Lifting Futures program at liftingfutures.org.

Learn more about GE Aerospace and its Foundation's broader workforce training efforts at geaerospace.com/workforce.

About the GE Aerospace Foundation 
The GE Aerospace Foundation, an independent charitable organization funded by GE Aerospace, complements the company's purpose to "lift people up" in communities where employees live and work around the world. The Foundation's philanthropic strategy and programs focus on engineering education, workforce development, and disaster relief. We also support GE Aerospace employees through programs such as Matching Gifts and Star Awards. When GE Aerospace launched as an independent company in 2024, the GE Foundation was relaunched as the GE Aerospace Foundation, commencing a new chapter that builds on the successful, 100+ year legacy of the previous GE Foundation. Learn more at www.geaerospace.com/company/philanthropy.

About GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 50,000 commercial and 30,000 military aircraft engines. With a global team of approximately 57,000 employees building on more than a century of innovation and learning, GE Aerospace is committed to inventing the future of flight, lifting people up, and bringing them home safely. Learn more about how GE Aerospace and its partners are defining flight for today, tomorrow, and the future at www.geaerospace.com.

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