GE Aerospace Foundation selected five communities for its inaugural Lifting Futures grants: Auburn, Alabama; Cincinnati-Dayton, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and Wrocław, Poland. The $30 million program targets training 10,000 advanced manufacturing workers by 2030 to address aerospace skills shortages.
Auburn, Dallas, and Kuala Lumpur receive minimum $1 million grants, while Cincinnati-Dayton and Wrocław get at least $500,000. These sites feature high labor demand, strong training pipelines, and established aerospace ecosystems.
Local partners will develop tailored action plans through spring and summer 2026, with program details releasing in fall. This flagship initiative, announced by CEO H. Lawrence Culp last fall, builds on over 20 prior GE programs that upskilled nearly 10,000 individuals since 2024.
In Dallas, it complements aviation maintenance training at Tarrant County College. Kuala Lumpur taps UniKL’s MRO expertise, Cincinnati-Dayton expands Cincinnati State and United Way efforts, and Wrocław leverages regional vocational strengths.
The program funds equipment, instructors, curricula, and student aid, bolstering GE’s capacity to meet rising aerospace demand amid global manufacturing expansion.