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Amy Wilder

Textron Aviation has received the 2025 Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award from <a href="https://www.sme.org/aboutsme/what-is-sme/">SME</a>, a nonprofit focused on advancing manufacturing technologies and talent development across North America. The award recognizes Textron Aviation’s integration of employee development into its core business operations, and its leadership in manufacturing training.
A centerpiece of Textron Aviation’s workforce strategy is its Career and Learning Center, a $40 million facility in Wichita that offers immersive training to new hires. Featured in the center is a simulated manufacturing floor that supports up to eight weeks of technical instruction before employees move into production roles. The model is designed to ease the transition for new mechanics and improve productivity and retention.
“Our Career and Learning Center is equipped with the latest technology to provide realistic environments for training scenarios that mimic the reality of our manufacturing operations,” said Maggie Topping, Textron Aviation's senior v-p of human resources and communications.
In 2024, the company delivered more than 29,000 hours of professional training to more than 3,900 employees. Its ongoing development strategy includes paid high school and college internships, educator externships, facility tours, and a mentorship program that enrolled nearly 500 participants in its most recent cohort.
<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-04-28/textron-aviation-opens-40m-career-learning-center">Opened in early 2025</a>, the 75,000-sq-ft Career and Learning Center expanded previously existing facilities and was supported by a $3.325 million award from the state of Kansas. Organized into four zones, the center includes applicant support, onboarding and skills testing, professional training, and aviation education outreach. The “Design. Build. Fly.” zone introduces K-12 students to aviation careers through hands-on activities and a Cessna 172 flight simulator.

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