Textron Aviation Launches Cutting-Edge Career & Learning Center to Strengthen Workforce Development and Innovation
A Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has marked a major milestone in its commitment to developing the aviation workforce of tomorrow with the official completion and opening of its state-of-the-art Career & Learning Center. Strategically located on the company’s East Wichita Campus, the new facility is now fully operational and actively serving prospective, current, and future Textron Aviation employees.
The Career & Learning Center expands Textron Aviation’s training footprint to more than 75,000 square feet, offering a modern, integrated environment designed to support every stage of the employee journey—from recruitment and onboarding to technical training and continuous professional development. The company’s investment in this facility represents more than $40 million, reflecting its long-term dedication to workforce advancement, innovation, and customer excellence.
A Strategic Investment in People and Potential
“This Career & Learning Center is not just a building—it’s a strategic investment in building the next generation of aviation manufacturing, support, and professional talent,” said Ron Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation. “Recruiting, hiring, and training a world-class workforce is vital to our ability to provide the best aviation experience for our customers around the globe. This facility sets the stage for our people to grow and thrive, ensuring we remain at the forefront of aviation innovation and service.”
To support that mission, the center has been thoughtfully designed into four functional zones, each tailored to a specific phase of an employee’s career path. These zones—Career, Pre-Employment, Learning, and Design. Build. Fly.—offer specialized spaces, equipment, and staff to ensure the most comprehensive and seamless experience possible.
Career Zone: Entry Point to Opportunity
The Career Zone serves as a welcoming front door for prospective employees. Open to the public Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with extended hours to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays), this area is staffed by dedicated recruiters who provide personalized assistance with everything from resume development to role matching and job application support.
Textron Aviation has long been one of the region’s most prominent employers, and with hiring initiatives in full swing, the Career Zone plays a critical role in attracting and engaging top talent. Whether individuals are new to the workforce or seasoned professionals exploring new opportunities, the Career Zone provides a high-touch experience grounded in accessibility, responsiveness, and support.
Pre-Employment Zone: Streamlining the Hiring Process
Once candidates move forward in the hiring process, they are guided into the Pre-Employment Zone—a one-stop space designed to simplify and streamline onboarding. Here, new hires can complete all required activities on-site, including WorkKeys testing, administrative onboarding tasks, and preliminary training sessions. By consolidating these steps into a single location, Textron Aviation significantly reduces the time between offer acceptance and productive integration into the workforce.
This zone is also a key part of the company’s effort to deliver a frictionless and engaging hiring experience. It allows new employees to feel immediately welcomed, prepared, and aligned with Textron Aviation’s culture and operational excellence.
Learning Zone: Building Technical Mastery and Confidence
The heart of the new facility lies in the Learning Zone, where technical and professional training takes center stage. Equipped with advanced classrooms, training labs, and a simulated manufacturing floor inside the facility’s west bay hangar, this zone is tailored to meet the needs of employees new to aviation manufacturing as well as those seeking to deepen their expertise.
Textron Aviation has developed an industry-leading eight-week training program designed to provide newly hired mechanics with immersive, hands-on experiences that mirror real-world conditions. The curriculum includes technical instruction, operational safety, and process training—ensuring that employees not only gain knowledge but also develop the confidence to succeed in their roles from day one.
“We are passionate about creating environments where future and current employees can be inspired and thrive,” said Maggie Topping, senior vice president of Human Resources & Communications at Textron Aviation. “The Career & Learning Center is equipped with the latest technology to provide realistic environments for training scenarios that mimic the reality of our manufacturing operations, setting our employees up for success.”
Design. Build. Fly. Zone: Inspiring the Next Generation
Looking further into the future, Textron Aviation’s commitment to workforce development begins well before candidates enter the job market. The Design. Build. Fly. Zone is a dedicated space for K-12 students and educators, designed to spark early interest in aviation careers through hands-on, age-appropriate activities.
This innovative education space features an array of engaging tools and experiences, including an interactive simulator for the iconic Cessna Skyhawk 172—widely regarded as the world’s leading trainer aircraft. By offering young students the chance to engage directly with aviation concepts in a fun and interactive environment, Textron Aviation is nurturing a pipeline of future innovators, engineers, and aviation professionals.
Public-Private Collaboration and Regional Support
Textron Aviation’s investment in the Career & Learning Center also reflects a broader public-private partnership to strengthen Kansas’s reputation as a global aviation hub. Recognizing the critical role the aerospace industry plays in the state’s economy, the Kansas Department of Commerce awarded Textron Aviation $3.325 million in support of the project through its Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) grant program.
The facility was designed and constructed in collaboration with Wichita-based partners, including SPT Architecture, Conco Construction, and Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC), further underscoring Textron Aviation’s commitment to supporting local talent and economic development.
Creating Pathways for a Brighter Future
Textron Aviation’s new Career & Learning Center is more than a building—it is a vision realized. By combining technology, training, education, and community outreach under one roof, the company is reinforcing its role as a leader in workforce development for the aviation industry.
The center is open and operational, and job seekers are encouraged to explore current opportunities by visiting txtav.com/careers or stopping by the Career Zone in person at Suite 400, 293 S. Greenwich Rd, Wichita, Kansas 67206.
With this initiative, Textron Aviation is not only building aircraft—it’s building futures
About Textron Aviation
We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight.