Textron Aviation launches Kansas' first aviation youth apprenticeship program for high school students

Textron Aviation Inc. has become the first aviation company in Kansas to offer state-registered youth apprenticeships through the Kansas Office of Apprenticeships, targeting high school students aged 16 and older with paid, hands-on training. The first cohorts began in fall 2026, with structured skill development spanning up to three years.

The company is launching three registered youth apprenticeship tracks: Airframe & Powerplant (A&P), developed with WSU Tech in Wichita; Avionics, also developed with WSU Tech; and Engine Buildup, developed with Tri County Tech, based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with the apprenticeship itself based in Independence, Kansas. Participants combine classroom instruction with on-the-job training at Textron Aviation facilities, and upon completion apprentices earn a credential through the Kansas Office of Apprenticeships, with A&P apprentices additionally earning their Airframe & Powerplant certification.

Maggie Topping, senior vice president, Human Resources and Communications at Textron Aviation, said "the youth apprenticeship program is about opening the door earlier for students who can see themselves building a future in aviation." Dr. Sheree Utash, president of WSU Tech, called it "exactly the kind of opportunity we need more of," noting students gain real skills, earn while they learn, and build a direct path into high-demand aviation careers. Shonda Anderson, director of the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship, said Textron Aviation is "leading the way in aviation and advanced manufacturing, giving young Kansans the opportunity to earn while they learn." The programs were developed in collaboration with the Kansas Office of Apprenticeships, Wichita Public Schools, Haysville Public Schools, Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School, Dewey High School in Oklahoma, WSU Tech, and Tri County Tech.

This kind of arrangement, a manufacturer registering its own apprenticeship tracks with a state labor office and pairing them with local technical colleges, reflects how aviation maintenance and manufacturing employers are trying to build talent pipelines before students even finish high school, rather than recruiting only from existing technical-school graduates. Registered apprenticeships let a company combine paid on-the-job hours with formal classroom credit, so a student can exit with both a state credential and, in the A&P track, an industry-recognized maintenance certification.

The structure also ties a single employer to multiple school districts and two technical colleges across two states, which spreads recruitment across a wider geographic footprint than a single-campus partnership would. Whether this model expands to other Textron Aviation sites or other manufacturers in the region will depend on how the first cohorts, which began this fall, progress through the up-to-three-year tracks and whether completion rates justify the multi-year commitment from both the company and the participating schools.