GE Aerospace to invest $1 million to boost aerospace training in Montgomery, Auburn

GE Aerospace logo in front of one of the company’s buildings in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  (WAKA) – The GE Aerospace Foundation says it will invest $1 million to support industry workforce training efforts across Alabama through Lifting Futures, its flagship workforce program.

The money will be used to raise career awareness, prepare entry-level workers, improve program completion and strengthen regional coordination. The program’s overall goal is to train 10,000 workers across multiple communities for the aerospace industry by 2030.

“Alabama’s role in aerospace and defense manufacturing makes having a skilled workforce critical to our country. Lifting Futures will help more people get the training they need to build a career in this industry,” said Christian Meisner, Chief Human Resources Officer at GE Aerospace and Chair of the GE Aerospace Foundation.

Community meetings were held this summer with educators, civic leaders and industry representatives along the region’s I-85 manufacturing corridor. Those meetings found that while the region has one of the strongest manufacturing industries, it faces limited awareness of career opportunities, lower training completion rates and a desire for greater coordination between  organizations.

GE Aerospace says first-year grants will benefit more than 400 people by:

• • Creating a free bootcamp at Southern Union State Community College to prepare students for entry-level jobs in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. The program will also procure new equipment.
  • Increasing awareness and retention across the Auburn-Opelika region by promoting no-cost training and hiring opportunities, led by the Industrial Development Board of the City of Auburn.
  • Building an expanded worker pipeline across the region through efforts by the Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce to prepare for an expected increase in available manufacturing jobs.

Additional investment for these and other recipients will occur through the life of the Lifting Futures program.

Lifting Futures will provide subscriptions of Let’s Go Aerospace magazine to all public middle school libraries in Montgomery and counties. The magazine is designed to educate and inspire students about opportunities in the aerospace industry.

In addition to Lifting Futures, GE Aerospace and its Foundation have supported more than 20 workforce programs that have helped nearly 10,000 individuals since becoming a standalone company in 2024, including a $100,000 donation to Calhoun Community College in Huntsville in 2024.

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