Malaysia joins GE Aerospace training programme

The GE Aerospace Foundation announced the first five communities selected as part of its new, $30 million workforce training programme, 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 programme, 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 emphasise 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.

CAE and easyJet extend cadet training partnership
CAE announced the reopening and five‑year extension of the Generation easyJet Multi‑Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) programme, reinforcing its long‑standing partnership with easyJet and CAE’s role as the airline’s exclusive MPL training partner. The extension underscores the strength of CAE’s proven MPL training model and its role as a long‑term, trusted partner to airlines. Under the extended agreement, selected cadets will begin MPL training with CAE in late 2026.

CAE has been supporting easyJet’s pilot training needs for nearly three decades. This long‑term extension reaffirms easyJet’s continued confidence in CAE’s MPL training expertise. As easyJet’s exclusive MPL partner, CAE will continue to support the airline’s pilot training requirements through a structured, competency‑based training pathway aligned with easyJet’s operational standards. To date, CAE has trained and delivered more than 1,500 pilots to the airline through MPL, Integrated Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), and type‑rating programmes.

“The extension of the Generation easyJet MPL programme reflects the strength and longevity of our partnership with easyJet, as well as the continued confidence in CAE’s MPL training model,” said James Cahill, Vice President, Commercial Aviation – EMEA, CAE. Structured cadet programmes like this one play a critical role in developing the next generation of pilots while maintaining the highest training and safety standards.”

Daniele Grassini, Director of Training and Standards for easyJet, said: “We are delighted to be reopening applications for this year’s Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme as part of our drive to recruit hundreds of new pilots over the coming years. We want even more people to consider joining a profession truly unlike any other where no two days are the same and, at a growing, leading European airline, offering fantastic opportunities for progression. We look forward to seeing many more new pilots joining easyJet in this rewarding career in the months and years to come.”

According to CAE’s 2025 Aviation Talent Forecast, Europe is expected to require approximately 57,000 new commercial pilots by 2034, highlighting the scale of long‑term workforce demand across the region. The reopening and extension of the Generation easyJet Multi‑Crew Pilot Licence programme underscores the importance of sustained investment in structured cadet training pathways and strong airline–training provider partnerships to support airline growth and operational resilience over the coming decade.