What if hiring, onboarding and manufacturing training could happen under one roof to provide a holistic workforce-development pipeline? This was the guiding vision behind aircraft manufacturer Textron Aviation Inc.’s Career & Learning Center, a $40-million project that included the construction of a 100,000-sq-ft (9,290-sq-m) facility on the company’s East Wichita Campus in Kansas. After a soft launch in August 2024, the center had its grand opening in April 2025.
Headquartered in Wichita, Textron Aviation is home to the iconic Cessna and Beechcraft brands, and its aircraft account for more than half of all general-aviation aircraft flying today, the company notes. With a portfolio spanning business jets, turboprops and piston aircraft, Textron Aviation says it has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft to customers in some 170 countries.
The company currently employs 14,000-plus team members, and its Career & Learning Center grew out of a need to find new ways of hiring and training the next generation of skilled technicians…