Investment includes $500,000 in Lifting Futures grants and an additional $400,000 for the Future of Manufacturing Fund
GE Aerospace and the GE Aerospace Foundation are investing nearly $1 million to strengthen aerospace workforce training across Southwest Ohio, with the funding aimed at expanding training capacity, improving recruitment and building stronger connections between education providers and the region’s aerospace industry.
The investment includes approximately $500,000 in grants through Lifting Futures, the GE Aerospace Foundation’s flagship workforce programme. The programme has an overall goal of training 10,000 workers across multiple communities for careers in aerospace by 2030.
The first round of Lifting Futures funding will support three Southwest Ohio organisations during 2027, with the grants expected to benefit roughly 200 workers.
At Sinclair College, funding will support training for more than 150 entry-level workers through accelerated manufacturing courses, welding skills training and a new accelerated technician programme.
The investment will also support the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, which will focus on recruiting and placing 50 students into available seats in its welding programme.
A third grant to the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati will focus on mapping the regional workforce landscape to improve long-term coordination among aerospace employers, training organisations and other stakeholders.
The initiatives were identified following input from nearly 40 educators, civic leaders and industry representatives who examined workforce-training opportunities and challenges across the Southwest Ohio aerospace corridor.
“Today’s investment builds on the commitment we made when our Foundation launched in 2024 and will help ensure Ohio continues to play a key role in designing and building the future of flight,” said Meghan Thurlow, president of the GE Aerospace Foundation.
For the aerospace and MRO sectors, the focus on accelerated technician, manufacturing, and welding training is particularly relevant as companies seek to expand the skilled workforce required to support aircraft production, component manufacturing, maintenance, and engineering activities.
Sinclair College said the funding would help address the demand for skilled workers while making hands-on career pathways more accessible. “At Sinclair, we see firsthand that employers need skilled workers and that students need accessible, hands-on pathways into these careers,” said Matt Hoyng, Manufacturing Solutions Manager at Sinclair College. “Support from the GE Aerospace Foundation can help reduce barriers, strengthen training programs, and connect more people to meaningful career opportunities in our region.”
Lifting Futures and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) will also provide subscriptions to Let’s Go Aerospace magazine for public middle school libraries stretching from Northern Kentucky to Dayton. The publication is intended to introduce students to career opportunities across the aerospace industry and build awareness of the sector at an earlier stage.
GE Aerospace said additional funding will be provided to the initial Lifting Futures recipients, as well as potentially other organisations, throughout the programme.
Alongside the Lifting Futures grants, GE Aerospace will invest an additional $400,000 in the United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Future of Manufacturing Fund. The new commitment builds on GE Aerospace’s initial $1 million contribution to the fund, announced when the GE Aerospace Foundation was launched in 2024.
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The Future of Manufacturing Fund supports existing workforce programmes designed to increase the number of people receiving industry training, while also improving programme completion and job-placement rates.
GE Aerospace and its Foundation said they have supported more than 20 workforce programmes and helped nearly 10,000 individuals since GE Aerospace became a standalone company in 2024. The company also provided a $250,000 donation to Cincinnati State in 2025.
