Executive & Legislative Advocacy
Legislative Advocacy - Labor Secretary Marty Walsh
On February 28, 2023, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, Deputy Secretary Julie Su, and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby join Mayor Sylvester Turner at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to launch Calibrate, a training program for aircraft maintenance technicians.
The event included tours of Hangar X, the airlines 370,000 square foot maintenance facility, and the company’s newest Technical Operations Recruitment Center, a one-stop shop where prospective and current Calibrate apprentices can learn more about and apply to the 36-month program, the release stated.
- Calibrate is a full-time paid apprenticeship with United Airlines focused on training maintenance technicians through hands-on experience with state-of-the-art aircraft and equipment.
The program pays trainees as they work toward their licenses, in a 36-month-long course that begins with classes before moving on to supervised work alongside licensed technicians. United also covers the cost of the classes, which can total $50,000 at a technical college, the airline says.
Sixteen men and women were part of its initial cohort, which started at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport in November. Several other groups of future techs are now training, in Houston and San Francisco, with more airports in the future.
Overall, United plans to hire 7,000 more maintenance technicians by 2026, and 1,000 will be trained through Calibrate. United will start accepting external applications later this year as well - extending the program to its global employee base and external candidates.
Secretary Walsh stated that, "This program proves that when business and labor work together, everyone succeeds." He also added that you don't often see a massive company, the federal government, and the Teamsters hobnobbing, all on the same page.
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Related Articles:
- United's new job training program brings business and labor together
Houston Chronicle - 03.02.2023 - United Airlines hosts signing ceremony officially debuting in-house apprenticeship program
Clcik 2 Houston - 02.28.2023
Executive Advocacy Links:
- President Joe Biden
- EPA Administrator Michael Regan
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
- Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm
- Labor Secretary Marty Walsh
- Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu
- Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark
- Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose
- CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
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