EXCLUSIVE — GE Aerospace is launching a new $30 million initiative to bolster the industry’s workforce in alignment with an April executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

Trump’s order, titled “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” directs the administration to produce a report within 90 days outlining “opportunities to integrate systems and realign resources to address critical workforce needs.”

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The report, written by the Department of Labor in July, directs the government to “seek businesses’ help to co-design work-based training and credentialing opportunities, including Registered Apprenticeships for new and incumbent workers.”

Christian Meisner, chief human resources officer for GE Aerospace, suggested to the Washington Examiner that the new initiative, a series of multiyear grants distributed across a five-year window, will not only benefit GE but also the entire American aerospace industry.

“The President has put out a vision to revitalize US manufacturing, and, as a proud US manufacturer, we’re wholeheartedly aligned with that,” he said in a statement. “We’re doing these initiatives because we believe it’s the right thing for the industry and the right thing for GE Aerospace.”

White House officials chose not to comment on GE Aerospace’s Tuesday morning announcement.

GE Aerospace officials told the Washington Examiner that the grants will significantly scale up existing apprenticeship and technical skills training programs, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program in Lynn, Massachusetts. GE Aerospace previously invested a million dollars into AMTEP in February of this year.

In total, the new initiative is expected to train roughly 10,000 workers by 2030 in both pre- and after-market specialties, including airframe and powerplant mechanics, welders, inspection technicians, and more.

Those same officials explained that while the company has expanded its manufacturing workforce beyond pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, the same can’t be said of many of their suppliers.

“We’re only as good as our supply base, and so part of the thinking here is helping develop the kind of next generation workers for us, yes, but frankly, just as much for our supply base,” one official said.

Furthermore, GE Aerospace officials likened the initial investment to a pilot program, saying they expect other industry players to become involved after the launch.

“Everyone can agree that high-paid, high-tech, often unionized American manufacturing jobs are something we can all get behind,” one official explained. “And so this is one of those things where I think people would love to help. We just need to do a better job of explaining what help we need.”

GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO Larry Culp is expected to speak on the new program Tuesday morning in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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You can watch Culp’s remarks in full below.