Includes $500K in Lifting Futures grants to benefit workers across aerospace industry
Additional $400K+ will continue successful Future of Manufacturing Fund
CINCINNATI and DAYTON, Ohio – Sept. 30, 2026 – GE Aerospace and the GE Aerospace Foundation today announced plans to invest nearly $1 million to support industry workforce training efforts across Southwest Ohio, including around $500,000 through Lifting Futures, its flagship workforce program.
The initial Lifting Futures investment will support three local partners during 2027 to add training capacity, strengthen career awareness and recruitment, and improve regional coordination between organizations along the Southwest Ohio aerospace corridor. The investment is in support of the program’s overall goal to train 10,000 workers across multiple communities for the aerospace industry by 2030.
"What better place to start our work through Lifting Futures than with grants to strengthen training opportunities for workers here at home," said Meghan Thurlow, president of the GE Aerospace Foundation. "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 designing and building the future of flight."
The inaugural investments reflect input from nearly 40 educators, civic leaders, and industry representatives to identify the unique opportunities and challenges confronting workforce training efforts in the area, resulting in a focus on meeting a boom in demand while driving awareness of under-utilized programs. First-year grants will benefit roughly 200 workers by:
- Increasing capacity at Sinclair College to train more than 150 entry-level workers through accelerated manufacturing courses, welding skills training, and a new accelerated technician program.
- Recruiting and placing 50 students into open seats at Hobart Institute of Welding Technology's welding program.
- Mapping the region to strengthen long-term industry coordination through the Talent Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati.
Additional investment for these and likely other recipients will occur through the life of the Lifting Futures program.
“At Sinclair, we see firsthand that employers need skilled workers and that students need accessible, hands-on pathways into these careers. Support from the GE Aerospace Foundation can help reduce barriers, strengthen training programs, and connect more people to meaningful career opportunities in our region,” said Matt Hoyng, Manufacturing Solutions Manager at Sinclair College.
In addition, Lifting Futures and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) will provide subscriptions of Let’s Go Aerospace magazine to all public middle school libraries from Northern Kentucky to Dayton. The magazine is designed to educate and inspire students about opportunities in the aerospace industry.
GE Aerospace also announced that the company will make an additional $400,000 investment to the United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Future of Manufacturing Fund, building on its initial $1 million donation announced during the GE Aerospace Foundation’s launch in 2024. The Fund scales existing programs to grow the number of people trained and provides support to increase completion and job placement.
In addition to the Lifting Futures program, 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 $250,000 donation to Cincinnati State last year.
Learn more about the GE Aerospace Foundation’s Lifting Futures program at liftingfutures.org.
Read the full Press Release here: GE Aerospace, Foundation Donate Nearly $1M for SW Ohio Workforce Programs | GE Aerospace News
