Defense contractor Lockheed Martin this month announced a new pre-apprenticeship program to recruit and train students to work in aerospace manufacturing.
The company’s Sikorsky subsidiary has partnered with Teamsters Local 1150 — which represents workers at the helicopter maker — on a career pathways program for high school students since 2002. The company, the union, and Connecticut state officials said aircraft manufacturing pre-apprenticeship represented “the next logical step” for the long-running training program.
“Not only will it help us to recruit those students who are looking for industry-recognized credentials, but it helps to bolster U.S. manufacturing by preparing these students to work in any aerospace facility,” Rocco Calo, the secretary-treasurer and principal officer of Local 1150, said in a statement.
Lockheed officials added that the newly registered program would help meet the company’s goal of creating 8,000 apprenticeship and workforce positions through 2023.
The announcement marked the end of the 18th annual career pathways program, which this year trained nearly 50 students on projects including the CH-53K, Black Hawk, and Combat Rescue helicopters.
