Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest local airport and aviation news delivered right into your inbox each week!

News Updates
Norse Atlantic Airways announces first flight from Paris to New York, JFK with daily service.

Norse Atlantic Airways Celebrates Inaugural Flight from Paris to New York

March 27, 2023
Michael Huerta, Former Administrator of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Delta Air Lines Board Member

Joby Appoints Former FAA Administrator and Delta Board Member Michael Huerta to the Company’s Board of Directors

March 25, 2023
Elise Eberwein accepts the CF Foundation’s Jena Award on March 23.

American Airlines Donates $1.1 Million to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

March 24, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
Home»Airport Employment News»United Launches Apprenticeship Program to Grow and Diversify Aircraft Technician Pipeline
Airport Employment News

United Launches Apprenticeship Program to Grow and Diversify Aircraft Technician Pipeline

Inaugural class starts next week as the airline plans to train more than 1,000 people by 2026, with a goal that at least half will be women or people of color
Metropolitan Airport NewsBy Metropolitan Airport NewsNovember 2, 2022No Comments3 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
United Calibrate Apprenticeship Program

United Airlines announced the launch of Calibrate, an in-house apprenticeship program that will help grow and diversify its pipeline of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs). The inaugural class starts next week in Houston as the airline plans to train more than 1,000 people at about a dozen locations by 2026, with the goal of at least half being women or people of color.

Calibrate is a 36-month program in which participants “earn and learn” getting paid while completing the full-time certification and training process. Since participants get paid while they train, they forgo the expense of going to a technical school – which can cost up to $50,000.

United will start accepting external applications in early 2023. Interested applicants can sign up to receive more information about Calibrate at https://careers.united.com/us/en/calibrate.

“Calibrate is a great opportunity for people who are interested in pursuing a rewarding career as an aircraft technician but don’t have the resources or support they need to attend traditional technical schools or colleges,” said Rodney Luetzen, United’s Vice President of Line Maintenance. “This program will provide life-changing opportunities, help to diversify our workforce, and give us access to an even bigger pool of talented, qualified, motivated people.”

The apprenticeship program, a joint effort between United, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and the Federal Aviation Administration, accelerate the path toward becoming a United AMT while also growing the airline’s ranks of Ground Service Equipment mechanics and Facility Technicians.

United expects the second Calibrate apprentice cohort to start in early 2023, also in Houston, and will then expand to more than a dozen locations, including San Francisco and Orlando.

The program will focus on helping apprentices gain the skills and knowledge required to test for and obtain their A&P Certificate, including hands-on and classroom training. Additionally, participants will be mentored by United’s world-class technicians, building relationships and acquiring union seniority as they progress through the program.

“The Airline Division has done an excellent job of promoting the Aviation Maintenance Technician craft,” said Sean O’Brien, General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “This program creates the diversity that the Teamsters are known for and will provide great jobs for not only our current Teamster members but also the next generation.”

United has about 9,000 highly trained and certified aircraft maintenance technicians globally, with combined wages and benefits totaling more than $140,000 at the top of their pay scale. These are highly skilled jobs – the airline actively recruits from trade schools and the military – and United provides an onramp to this career through entry-level positions. Several United leaders started out as aircraft mechanics, including the airline’s current Vice President of Line Maintenance.

Currently, United has Base Maintenance AMTs, Line Maintenance AMTs, shop-based AMTs, inspectors, and other licensed professionals at 50 locations worldwide. The airline plans to open new line maintenance stations in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., later this year and in Fort Myers-Southwest, FL, and Nashville, Tenn., in early 2023.

Earlier this year, United officially opened the United Aviate Academy, welcoming the first class of student pilots, 80% of which were women or people of color, outpacing the airline’s goal to train about 5,000 new pilots at the school by 2030 with at least half being women or people of color. Backed by scholarship commitments from United and JPMorgan Chase, United Aviate Academy will create opportunities for thousands of students, including women and people of color, to pursue a career as a commercial airline pilot, one of the most lucrative careers in the industry.

United Airlines
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Metropolitan Airport News
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Produced by a team of aviation professionals and enthusiasts, our mission is to inform and update the more than 68,000 employees who work on the metropolitan New York airport properties, as well as the many others that provide goods and services in the surrounding communities.

RELATED NEWS & UPDATES

Viridos' technology extracts algae oil from algae for potential future production of sustainable aviation fuel

United Invests $5 Million in Algae-based Fuel Producer Viridos

March 13, 2023

Everyone Deserves a Second Chance

March 7, 2023
JFK T6 Groundbreaking Ceremony

Final Phase of the JFK Transformation Celebrated With Groundbreaking Ceremony for a New $4.2 Billion Terminal 6

February 25, 2023
TSA Federal Air Marshals

TSA Federal Air Marshals Hiring Event at Newark

February 24, 2023
ited Celebrates Historic First Graduating Class of Flight Academy Pilots

United Celebrates First Graduating Class of Flight Academy Pilots

January 25, 2023
Delta ramp agent and pilot

Emergency Savings Program Fuels Delta Employees’ Financial Security

January 25, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

AIRPORT & AVIATION EVENTS
JFK Airport Chamber of Commerce at Topgolf
March 28, 2023
2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Topgolf
Holbrook, New York
The Wings Club Annual Meeting
March 29, 2023
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
New York, New York
JFK Rotary Club Monthly Dinner Meeting
April 05, 2023
5:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Vetro Restaurant & Lounge
Howard Beach, New York
  • >> More Airport & Aviation Events

Subscribe for Weekly Email Updates

Get the latest local airport news, events, and jobs delivered right into your inbox each week.

Metropolitan Airport News provides timely news, information and updates for both Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees and businesses that provide services at, and around the major New York airports (JFK, LGA, EWR).

John F. Kennedy International Airport
PO Box 300877
Jamaica, NY 11430 USA
Phone: (347) 396-0904
Email Us

Facebook Twitter YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
MARCH 2023 ISSUE
Metropolitan Airport News March 2023
LATEST COMMENTS
  • Julia Lauria-Blum on Larger Than Life
  • Robert lee on Jane Mrosko
  • Jerelyn Zontini on Larger Than Life
  • Tom Krpata on The Golden Age of Airline Employment
  • About Us
  • Advertising Options
  • Charitable Giving Program
  • Back Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Airport Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.