By prioritizing its workforce, Textron Aviation is not only strengthening its organization but helping to secure manufacturing’s future.
SME has named Textron Aviation as the recipient of the 2025 Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award.
This award recognizes the company’s outstanding commitment to workforce development through its innovative training programs and employee development initiatives. The Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award celebrates manufacturers that demonstrate exceptional dedication to integrating learning and development into their business processes, ensuring a skilled and adaptable workforce.
Textron Aviation was selected for this award based on its Career & Learning Center investment, an innovative facility that provides a world-class employee experience during the application, hiring, onboarding and training processes. This facility features a simulated shop floor, labs, and workstations, preparing newly hired mechanics with unparalleled hands-on experience. With eight weeks of dedicated training and support, this industry-leading model is designed to equip employees new to aviation manufacturing with the technical knowledge needed to move seamlessly into permanent roles with increased confidence and productivity.
Textron Aviation is actively hiring and welcomes walk-in applicants at the Career & Learning Center. Dedicated recruiters provide prospective employees with personalized support at every step, from resume assistance to role matching and job applications. Pre-employment processes are housed onsite for a one-stop location for new employees to conveniently complete onboarding, WorkKeys testing and new hire training.
A key driver of Textron Aviation’s workforce development success is its robust paid high school and college internship programs, The company continuously hires full-time employees from these programs, demonstrating its commitment to building a strong talent pipeline. Additionally, Textron Aviation actively engages educators through externship programs, classroom presentations, and facility tours, fostering deeper connections between industry and education.
Textron Aviation’s mentorship program also plays a crucial role in developing talent, with nearly 500 employees participating in the most recent cohort. The program fosters cross-functional relationships, encourages knowledge sharing, and enhances professional growth through mentor-mentee and peer-to-peer connections
In 2024 alone, Textron Aviation delivered more than 29,000 hours of professional training to more than 3,900 employees, reinforcing its focus on continuous learning and career development. By embedding training into daily operations and aligning development initiatives with business goals, the company exemplifies best practices in manufacturing workforce development.
For more information, visit sme.org.
