Textron Aviation is constructing a hiring and learning center on its East Wichita, Kansas campus, the company announced on Friday. The 100,000-sq-ft facility is scheduled to be completed by August 2024.
Funded in part by a $3.325 million grant from the state of Kansas through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program, it will include a paint lab, sheet-metal training, and instruction in flight-control rigging and blueprint reading and interpretation. A K-12 experiential space, multiple classrooms, learning labs, and interviewing and onboarding spaces will be on-site.
The facility will consolidate currently dispersed programs focused on skill development, job and technical training, and hiring activities. The company plans to add more than 2,000 employees this year as a result of growth and attrition, and it remains focused on its long-term global strategic workforce plan.
“Our commitment to investing in our employees is unwavering, and the establishment of the hiring and learning center is just the latest example of how we are advancing our focus on growing a world-class workforce,” said Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation’s, s-v-p of human resources and communications. “Centralizing our workforce development within this advanced facility is a success multiplier. It will not only equip our team with paid job training to achieve their full potential but also shape the future of Textron Aviation.”